The Ministry of Education will consider whether to let the Hong Kong government set up primary schools in neighbouring Shenzhen in a bid to ease tension created by mainlanders enrolling their children in local schools.
The ministry pledged last month to think about the suggestion, raised by Michael Tien Puk-sun, a Hong Kong delegate to the National People's Congress.
The ministry said it would conduct feasibility studies into the idea. If it was found to be feasible, the ministry would seek a consensus to pursue the idea.
There would then need to be talks between Hong Kong's Education Bureau and its counterparts at the provincial level and in Shenzhen.
Such schools would be categorised as "schools for foreigners' children" under the Shenzhen system.
Tien came up with the idea to ease pressure on local schools as mainlanders sought local tuition for their children born in Hong Kong in previous years. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has put a stop to the Hong Kong births, banning all local hospitals from taking maternity ward bookings from mainlanders.
This year, new local pupils living in the North District - which is closest to the border - were allocated to Tai Po primary schools.