40 Hong Kong semi-private schools eye more non-local pupils in education hub push

More than half of Hong Kong’s 78 semi-private schools have applied to increase class sizes and student numbers to admit more non-locals as part of the city’s drive to become an international education hub.The Education Bureau said on Monday that it has received an “enthusiastic response” to its earlier invitation to all Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools to take in more non-local pupils.The initiative, first outlined in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address last year, allows DSS schools to admit non-local students on a self-financing basis. More than 40 DSS schools, representing over half of the total, submitted formal applications by last Friday’s deadline.“The Education Bureau is currently processing their applications and will announce the results of the selection in due course,” a spokesman said.Lee announced in October that the new initiative would expand DSS schools’ intake of non-local pupils with student visas, thereby “extending the development of Hong Kong into an international education hub to cover basic education”.DSS schools enjoy greater flexibility in designing their curriculums, student admission policies and mediums of instruction. They can also collect tuition fees in addition to receiving government subsidies.The Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council planned to organise a promotional trip to two or three Asian countries, vice-chairman Dion Chen said, with destinations to be finalised.