Explainer | What you need to know about Hong Kong’s cross-border students as they return to campuses after Covid-19 curbs lifted
- Students living in mainland China and studying in Hong Kong have returned to in-person learning after three years
- Cross-border schooling began after landmark court ruling in Hong Kong in 2001
Cross-border students returned to Hong Kong for full-day, in-person classes after three years of disruption brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Secondary school students became the first to resume their daily journeys over the border on Wednesday. Primary school and kindergarten pupils can return to schools in the city on February 22.
The resumption came as the border between Hong Kong and mainland China fully reopened on Monday with the scrapping of daily quotas and coronavirus testing requirements.
As nearly 21,000 cross-border pupils return to school after years of online lessons, the Post looks at schooling in Hong Kong, the livelihood of these students, the challenges they face and the impact the pandemic has had on them.
1. Who are cross-border students?
Cross-border students are children who have permanent residency in Hong Kong. They were born in the city and still study here but live on the mainland, many in neighbouring Shenzhen.