Hong Kong welcomes back cross-border students as parents, children hail eased rules with special travel path at checkpoints
- Secondary school students are the first batch officially allowed to resume classes, with many having attended online sessions on the mainland for three years
- There are currently nearly 21,000 cross-border students in Hong Kong, comprising 7,000 in secondary, 13,000 in primary and 900 in kindergartens
Hong Kong officially welcomed back cross-border students for full-day, in-person classes on Wednesday amid a total resumption of travel between both sides, marking an end to three years of online lessons.
The border between the city and mainland China fully reopened on Monday, with Hong Kong education minister Christine Choi Yuk-lin saying she was confident all students could return by February 22.
“According to my observations at the immigration checkpoint this morning, the arrangements were very smooth,” Choi told reporters after a visit to Shun Tak Fraternal Association Yung Yau College in Tin Shui Wai.
The education secretary added that authorities would review the need for daily negative rapid antigen tests (RAT) in schools at the end of the month.
Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki on Tuesday revealed the government was in discussion with the mainland to simplify or even cancel the health declaration procedure at checkpoints.
Choi had earlier said cross-border students – the first batch being those at the secondary level – could return to school two days after the border reopening as authorities had expected land crossings to be busy, setting aside more time for students to renew their immigration documents.