Tan Yifan

cicitan2011@gmail.com

IN a move to attract more students to fill their school seats, Hong Kong’s elite high schools are increasingly turning their gaze northward.

This was evident at the 2024 Greater Bay Area International Education School Fair — held in Futian District on Saturday — where 15 Hong Kong schools sought to woo mainland parents and students with the promise of a world-class education.

Participants included Band 1 schools like Yuen Long Lutheran Secondary School, United Christian College (Kowloon East) and Ying Wa College. Several principals shared their views on courses, choosing a school, popular university majors, and paths to top universities.

Chan Yee-shun, vice principal of Aberdeen Technical School, said mainland students now make up 10% of their student body.

“We have special adaptation classes for mainland students that address their particular needs. We’ve noticed that while our mainland students have excellent qualities, they often struggle with language deficiencies, so we offer classes in traditional Chinese characters and English,” he said.

Chen said his school participates in similar events three times a year, attending one on the mainland to increase engagement.

“Thanks to Hong Kong’s Talent Scheme, more students can come to Hong Kong to study without worrying about their identities,” he added.

The HKSAR Government’s Talent Scheme has been a significant factor in this trend. The scheme approved 12,969 applications out of 80,207 in 2023, with mainland talent accounting for 98.50% of these approvals.

During the fair’s forum, Linda Shen, co-founder of the International Education Network, said that new data analysis from her team indicates that a growing number of families are considering Hong Kong for their children’s education. This year, they invited a guest to talk more about the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), which is gaining popularity among students.

Shenzhen’s local international schools, including Shenzhen American International School (SAIS), Shenzhen Shekou International School, and Harrow International School Shenzhen, also attended the fair to discuss their strong ability to provide HKDSE, International Baccalaureate (IB), or A-level courses.

Organized by the International Education Network, the fair and its forum began in 2017 and are held several times a year.