Hong Kong to cut ‘door-knocking’ places at secondary schools as student population shrinks

So-called door-knocking places allow parents to apply to schools they prefer if they are unhappy with central allocation results

Sources say Education Bureau planning to reduce number of discretionary places in each Secondary One class from two to one

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A class at S.K.H. St James’ Primary School in Wan Chai. The central allocation results will be released on July 11. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 9:00am, 27 Jun 2023

Hong Kong’s education authorities plan to cut classroom places that parents can choose at their preferred secondary schools next month due to the shrinking student population, the Post has learned.

Sources from the school sector on Monday said the Education Bureau was planning to reduce the number of discretionary places in each Secondary One class from two to one.

These so-called door-knocking places allow parents to apply to schools they prefer if they are unhappy with the central allocation results. The results will be released on July 11.

“We have been in discussion in the school sector, and we are open to this suggestion if this arrangement could help schools,” Secretary for Education, Christine Choi Yuk-lin told a radio programme.

In 2021 and 2022, the bureau called on secondary schools to use the discretionary places only for repeaters, as was the original purpose. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

The new arrangement came after the bureau made a similar arrangement in the primary school sector, as each Primary One class lost one place reserved for door-knocking pupils.