A record high of 74 per cent of Primary Six pupils in Hong Kong were assigned to their first choice secondary school in the central allocation system, with the sector attributing the 12 percentage point increase to shrinking student numbers.
This year marks the highest successful allocation rate since the revamped system was implemented in 2007. It coincides with a notable decline in the number of pupils taking part in the secondary school places allocation system, which has reached an eight-year low of 48,011.
The figure, announced by the Education Bureau on Monday, represents a decrease of 3,382 pupils, or 6.6 per cent, compared with last year – the largest drop recorded in 12 years.
Most of the pupils taking part in the system this year were born in 2013, a year that saw a nearly 40 per cent reduction in births following former chief executive Leung Chun-ying’s imposition of a ban on pregnant Chinese women without a husband from Hong Kong giving birth in the city’s hospitals.
The proportion of pupils who secured their first choice was a sharp increase from 62 per cent last year, while those who were allocated their top three choices reached 91 per cent, also a record high since 2007.
There are two stages in the allocation of public secondary schools for pupils in Hong Kong.
Those in the first stage are granted school places based on discretionary factors, such as academic and interview performance. They can apply directly to one or two schools, with the results released in March.
The bureau said that among the pupils allocated discretionary places, 68 per cent were given their first choice.
Children who do not apply or who are unable to get a spot at the discretionary stage are placed in a second stage that uses computer-based allocation, banding and the school nets to which pupils belong.
“Based on the total number of students allocated discretionary places and the first three choices through central allocation, the overall satisfaction rate is 95 per cent,” the bureau said.
Jessie Cheung Chok-fong, chairwoman of the Subsidised Primary Schools Council, attributed the unprecedented high allocation rate directly to the city’s shrinking pupil numbers.
“When there are more school places and fewer students, the chance of pupils entering their preferred schools is naturally higher than before,” she said.
She added that the number of pupils approaching schools themselves after the central allocation, a practice commonly known as “door-knocking”, would also be fewer this year due to the high satisfaction rate achieved through the official system.
All Primary Six pupils who took part in this year’s allocation system are required to return to their respective schools on Tuesday to collect their allocation and admission slips. Parents also have the convenience of obtaining the allocation results via an electronic platform and text message notification.
All pupils must report to the allocated secondary schools this Thursday or Friday for registration.