MAINLAND children are flooding to Shenzhen schools teaching the Hong Kong curriculum in an effort to sharpen their competitiveness before moving to the territory.
But each child must pay more than $1,500 a month in primary school fees - far more than any middle or low-income family could afford.
Educationalists and social workers are urging the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to work together to help children adjust to the different education systems.
Cheung Pik-fong, supervisor of a Hong Kong-based primary school in Futian, Shenzhen, said she was amazed at the demand when her school opened a year ago.
The boarding school has attracted about 240 students to its Primary One to Three classes. In September that number will double when Primary Four classes open.
'The majority of my students come from nearby districts and are waiting for their one-way permits to Hong Kong. They chose our school because of our Hong Kong-style education, with great emphasis on English language,' Ms Cheung said.