The government is facing the threat of a landmark court action accusing it of racial discrimination.
Hong Kong Unison, which campaigns for the rights of minorities, claims they administration has failed to provide adequate educational opportunities for ethnic groups.
It is seeking the backing of 100 families for a lawsuit that would be the first against the government under the 2008 anti-racism law.
The group's executive director, Fermi Wong Wai-fun, said: 'We need to have 100 individual cases willing to challenge the Education Bureau's policy for ethnic minority students in the court.
'It is serious racial discrimination that these children cannot have the same quality of education as others.'
The move comes after the Education Bureau was criticised by the Equal Opportunities Commission for failing to help ethnic minorities integrate into society and achieve the Chinese-language standards necessary to succeed in education.
The bureau said in response that it would work with the commission to offer more support to non-Chinese students. But Wong said: 'It is very rare for a government bureau or department to reply to an EOC report in such a wishy-washy way.'