90 per cent of Hong Kong primary pupils secure place at preferred public schools amid reduced competition for classroom spaces
- Number of pupils taking part in allocation process dropped to 43,755 from 48,000 in previous intake, Education Bureau says
- ‘I think most of the parents will be happy this year,’ education sector lawmaker says, but adds some families still likely to pursue top school choices
More than 90 per cent of Hong Kong pupils have secured a spot at one of their top three choices for public primary school, the highest rate in 15 years, education authorities have said as competition for places eases.
In Hong Kong, Primary One places in public schools are allocated using a two-stage process. The results of the first stage, the discretionary admission phase, for the 2023-24 academic year were announced in November, while those for the second part will be revealed next Wednesday.
The overall success rate for both stages reached 91.2 per cent, the Education Bureau said on Thursday. The rate is the highest since the 2009-10 allocation.
The reduced competition for Primary One spots came as the current number of six-year-olds joining the allocation process fell to 43,755 from the 48,080 who signed up for 2022-23, under the combined effects of an emigration wave and declining birth rates.
A total of 21,724 pupils last November were allocated places in the discretionary admission phase, while another 20,355 took part in the central allocation exercise after initially failing to get a space.