Record-low number of Hong Kong newborns in 2022 expected to hit preschools hard next year
- Sector representative Felix Ho says 30 more kindergartens might close next year and some, with reduced subsidies, may be forced to cut staff
Felix Yan Ho-on, chairman of the Hong Kong Early Childhood Educators Association, predicted that 30 more kindergartens could close in the next school year or be forced to cut down on teaching staff, as government subsidies would be reduced given the declining enrolment.
He added that all districts had been facing low enrolment problems, and the situation would deteriorate further because of the record-low number of births in 2022.
That year, Hong Kong recorded the lowest number of births since data became available in 1960, with 32,500 newborns. In 2023, the city produced 33,200 babies, the second lowest on record.
The figures suggest the preschool sector will face record-low applications in the coming two years, when children born in 2022 start K1 in September 2025.
Analysing the figures, Yan said: “If almost 20 preschools close down [this year], my guess is there could be 30 in the next school year that cease operations.”