12 per cent of Hong Kong secondary school students left city for tertiary studies last year, most choosing mainland China
- Britain overtakes Taiwan to become second most popular destination, according to Education Bureau’s survey of 41,222 school leavers
- More chose to take shorter postsecondary courses than before, which education consultant says suggests they want to enter job market earlier
The Education Bureau’s survey of 41,222 school leavers also found more students chose to take shorter certificate or diploma courses than before, which an expert said suggested they wanted to enter the job market earlier.
About 94 per cent chose to pursue further studies, which was the same amount as in 2021. Those who decided to enter the labour force directly and work full time accounted for 2.6 per cent, while 2.3 per cent were in part-time employment.
The choices of the remaining 2 per cent of students were not specified.
Students who opted for tertiary education primarily stayed in Hong Kong, with 87.6 continuing their studies in the city, while 4,789, or 12.4 per cent, went to the mainland, Taiwan or overseas.
The figure was down for the second year in a row, dropping from 14.3 per cent in 2021 and a peak of 14.5 per cent in 2020 when more than 6,000 students left the city for further studies.
Nearly 40 per cent of those who studied outside Hong Kong went to the mainland, which continued to top the chart as the most popular destination.