Students and alums criticize 'selfish decision' to close Rosaryhill Secondary School

Students and alums criticized the Rosaryhill Secondary School sponsoring body's decision to close down the school as "selfish," comparing it to "landlords taking back their land."

The comments came after the principal and the Parent-Teacher Association chairman of the secondary department refuted the claims from the sponsoring body, Dominican Missions, of insufficient admission numbers and a lack of funding leading to the closure after the 2025/26 academic year.

A Form Three student said she was shocked about the plan for closing down as there were enough students for each class, with her class even getting 15 transfer students this year. She slammed the decision as "selfish."

Another Form Two student stated that the school has provided transfer support to junior secondary students but is worried that switching schools will affect their studies.

Alumni Eva Charisa Hsu, also the principal of Fukien Secondary School Affiliated School, also criticized Dominican Missions' decision. 

Hsu added that she understood the difficulties in maintaining the school's operation but did not expect the Rosaryhill Secondary School sponsoring body to make such a rash conclusion.

She said most of the faculties, parents, and alums were hoping to try their best to keep the school running, but the sudden decision to close it down without any inquiries would lead to negative emotions from the stakeholders.

Education sector legislator Chu Kwok-keung said the school sponsoring body is comparing the admission rate to the peak of its admission, which is not accurate and unfair when the number of secondary students is declining throughout the city.

Chu added that the sponsoring body can't just abandon the school's operation in such a way, as it is not a business, and should instead try their best to find another school to collaborate with before making the decision.

He suggested the school find ways to increase the students' admission rather than directly closing the secondary school and added that the Education Bureau could also intervene to look for another sponsoring body for the school.