Primary schools slashing 70 classes in 'soft landing' bid

Eunice Lam

Nearly 70 classes are being cut from 64 subsidized primary schools, with those in Sha Tin and Yuen Long facing the most significant impact, according to the Education Bureau's Primary School Profiles.

Among 453 government and subsidized primary schools across the city, 64 must cut a total of 68 primary one classes for the 2024-25 school year.

Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said the decline in student population is "structural" and the bureau's current goal is to achieve a "soft landing."

But the admission situation of secondary schools, Choi added, is "very stable" and there will be no reduction in the number of secondary one classes.

"School-sponsoring bodies should take the initiative to consolidate resources, through the merger or relocation [of schools], to better serve students and families in need, while enhancing teaching quality among schools and pooling resources together," she said.

The reduction of 68 classes is fewer compared to the 78 cut during the 2023-24 school year.

Yuen Long is seeing the most cuts - 10 primary one classes from 10 schools - followed by nine classes from seven schools in Sha Tin.

Four schools need to put an end to two primary one classes this year. Two are located in Sha Tin, one in North District and another in Eastern District.

Forty-five schools will only operate one primary one class this year and may be shuttered if they fail to recruit at least 16 students.

There are also 37 primary schools that have been allowed to open 42 more primary one classes.

The bureau estimates that the number of primary one schoolchildren will drop from 49,600 to around 37,800 by 2028.

The Confucian Tai Shing Primary School in Wong Tai Sin organized a traditional first-writing ceremony for its last cohort of 14 primary school students before closing. The students all wore traditional clothing and learned to write Chinese calligraphy.

One member of the school's board, Langton Cheung Yung-pong, hopes the school's sponsoring body will continue to support the school's operation before its closure in the 2026-27 school year.

Meanwhile, primary students were both happy and anxious for the new school year, saying they are eager to learn.

One primary five boy, Angus, from Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road) said he went on holiday in Dubai and London and now felt "so excited to go to school as I can meet new teachers."

Another boy, Hugo, a primary six student, said he is determined to study hard so he can get into a good secondary school.

Choi also said over 280 students have been referred to psychiatrists after they were deemed at higher risk of suicide.

At the same time, less than half of local primary and secondary schools have signed up for the new mental health charter.

Choi has encouraged students to adopt a "never say die" spirit like the Hong Kong Olympians.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com