Number of Hong Kong students at UK private schools falls and further dip possible if Labour wins in January
- According to annual census by Independent Schools Council, 7,677 students from city now studying in British private schools, down from record of 8,011 last year
- Number may fall further if UK’s Labour Party wins in January and carries out pledge to cut tax exemption for operators, which could push up cost of tuition
The number of students from Hong Kong studying in private schools in Britain has dropped slightly from the peak last year to about 7,700, and a consultant has warned the figure may fall further if the UK government removes a tax exemption for the operators.
According to an annual census conducted in January by the United Kingdom’s Independent Schools Council and released last Friday, 7,677 students from the city are now studying in private schools in the country, down from the record of 8,011 last year.
But Hongkongers may be put off by a possible hike in tuition fees if the country’s Labour Party comes into power in 2025, as it has pledged to remove the current exemption that independent schools enjoy from value-added tax and business rates, according to an education consultant specialising in British private schools.
“For the past two years, Hong Kong has been the origin of the largest number of [overseas] pupils, but this year [mainland] China has returned to being the source of the largest number of [such] pupils,” it said.
Currently, 10,375 students from the mainland are studying in UK private institutions.
The number of students from Hong Kong with at least one parent living in the UK have jumped by 10 per cent to 2,602 students, up from 2,357 last year, 1,538 in 2022 and 496 in 2021.