‘Fewer Hong Kong students will head to mainland China and Taiwan in next few years’, local charity predicts
Guidance counsellor at Hok Yau Club says as competition for university places eases, students will be more likely to study in the city
The number of Hongkongers opting to study in Taiwan or mainland China will probably shrink over the next few years, a local educational NGO said on Sunday.
Hok Yau Club, a charity that gives educational guidance, said students were concerned that degrees from either place might not be well recognised upon their return to Hong Kong.
The group surveyed more than 1,100 Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) candidates – who are generally about 17 years of age – about tertiary education in January, using an online questionnaire. It found that 19 per cent of students surveyed considered enrolling in programmes on the mainland, a 2 per cent rise on last year.
A quarter said they were willing to study in Taiwan, but that was down from 33 per cent in 2016.
Among pupils who said they would not consider studying north of the border, about 39 per cent said they were worried that Hong Kong employers would not recognise a degree from the mainland. Of people uninterested in Taiwanese universities, 56 per cent voiced similar concern over programmes there.
