The Education Bureau has suspended operations and rejected the registration application of Inno Secondary School, a private institution in Kowloon Tong, amid allegations of collaboration with mainland agencies to facilitate student admissions to local subsidized universities.
The school came under investigation following reports of a Form 3 student suspected of having a potential "dual enrollment" at both Inno Secondary School and Shenzhen Senior High School after winning gold medals at the 55th International Physics Olympiad last month.
In a WeChat post by Shenzhen-based "Hanhai Education" earlier this month, the institution announced a joint program with Inno Secondary School offering a "1+1/1+2/2+2" study model between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
The program reportedly targets students from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and abroad, allowing them to study in Shenzhen for the initial years before completing the last one to two years in Hong Kong, where they would take British A-Level courses and obtain local student status to apply to the local eight publicly funded universities.
In response to media inquiries, the principal of Inno Secondary School, Thomas Qi, explained that the collaboration with mainland institutions was a proactive measure to meet the Education Bureau's latest requirements for "local students" applying to local subsidized universities.
Qi emphasized that the school only accepts students with Hong Kong citizenship or dependent visas, clarifying that no DSE-related courses are involved.
Additionally, Qi acknowledged that previous promotions may have caused misunderstandings, stating that the school does not aim to help students "acquire Hong Kong identity," and related wording has been promptly corrected.
However, reports stated that the school is currently facing issues with unpaid rent, as notices regarding overdue rent have been posted outside the former campus of Chan Shu Kui Memorial School in Kowloon Tong, indicating that the school has been in arrears since March.
The principal mentioned that disputes with the partner institution have led to legal action, and the school has now relocated to Hung Hom's Get Nice Centre, expressing hopes to open as scheduled next month.
"We had different educational philosophies, and a settlement agreement through lawyers was signed to part ways cleanly without any debts," Qi said.
Currently, Inno Secondary School has about 50 students, with 60 percent being children holding a dependent visa.
Poor management and financial situation at the school: Education Bureau
In response, the Education Bureau confirmed that it has not received any application from Inno Secondary School to relocate to Hung Hom.
The bureau highlighted the school's poor management and financial situation, noting that it had informed the school on July 28 that its registration application was rejected and that its temporary registration beyond September 30 would not be extended.
Furthermore, the bureau expressed serious concern regarding local schools allegedly collaborating with non-local education or tutoring institutions, stressing that no school may coordinate with third-party organizations to offer courses without prior approval.
Separately, another mainland educational institution, "New Oriental," previously claimed to collaborate with Caritas St. Joseph Secondary School to provide a "two-year customized boarding program for DSE science subjects."
However, the school clarified on Monday (Aug 11) that it had never authorized or signed any collaborative agreement and the related posts were deleted shortly after.
Education Committee sector lawmaker Lawrence Tang Fei criticized the agencies for exploiting parents' anxieties about their children's schooling in Hong Kong, urging the parents to be cautious before enrolling their children in related courses and called for the Education Bureau to issue clear guidelines regarding school collaborations with overseas institutions.
