The government is mulling another round of cuts to education subsidies to up to 10 percent regarding the operating expenses, after its previous decision to scrap the HK$2,500 per-pupil grant, according to the sources.

Documents from a briefing between the Education Bureau and school representatives revealed significant changes to the expanded or operating expenses block grants for public sector primary and secondary schools.

The grants will be cut by 10 percent in the next school year, and the constituent grants will not be adjusted according to the inflation tied to the Composite Consumer Price Index.

The expanded or operating expenses block grants cover costs for hiring non-establishment staff, teacher training, psychology services, air-conditioning, and equipment.

Taking into account other funding, the average funding cut for each school is about 2 percent.

The latest budget cuts will impact several education grants including the “Grant for Supporting Non-Chinese Speaking Students with Special Educational Needs,” the “Life-Wide Learning Grant,” and the “Sister School Partnership Subsidy.”

Changes to eligibility criteria and funding allocation will take effect in the coming school year in September.

For the “Grant for Supporting Non-Chinese Speaking Students with Special Education Needs,” the qualifying threshold will be raised significantly. While schools currently receive HK$106,769 for enrolling between 1 to 9 eligible students, the revised policy will require schools to have at least 6 to 9 such students to obtain the same funding amount.

As for the “Life-Wide Learning Grant,” it will operate as an individual subsidy rather than a school-based subsidy. Under the new scheme, secondary schools will receive HK$1,500 per eligible pupil.

Meanwhile, the “Sister School Partnership Subsidy” will be reduced to HK$165,000 from HK$165,430.

The Education Bureau announced at the meeting that it has formed a dedicated task force to explore allocating funds as a lump-sum grant in the future. The approach would give schools greater flexibility to use the money according to their needs and priorities.

Govt cuts school operating expenses block grant by 10pc: sources