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Education

UGC members are appointed by the Chief Executive in their personal capacity and all are prominent in their fields. They comprise accomplished academics and higher education. administrators from outside Hong Kong, eminent community leaders and academics of high standing locally. The UGC Secretariat, a government department, provides administrative support.

Education in Hong Kong

The government provides 12 years' free primary and secondary education through public-sector schools, which form the majority in the school system. In the 2020-21 school year, there were 847 public-sector schools, including 65 government schools operated directly by the government; and 780 aided schools and two Caput schools that are fully subvented by the government, mostly run by religious, charitable or clan organisations, and managed by their own incorporated management committees or school management committees. To provide for more diversity, there are 80 Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools, which enjoy greater flexibility in charging school fees, whilst receiving government subvention mainly based on enrolment. There are also 90 private primary and secondary schools.

Hong Kong's 54 international schools, including 15 run by the English Schools Foundation, provided about 45,900 places as at October, catering mainly to the demand of non-local families living in Hong Kong for work and investment. Generally operated on a self-financing basis, these schools offer different non-local curricula, including those of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the International Baccalaureate programme.

At the post-secondary level, the government's policy is to provide secondary school graduates with a wide range of options through the development of the publicly funded and self-financing post-secondary education sectors. In 2019-20, the participation rate in post-secondary education was about 80 per cent, including about 50 per cent at degree level. Both publicly funded and self-financing post-secondary programmes are available at sub-degree, undergraduate and higher levels. The publicly funded programmes are provided by the eight UGC-funded universities, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and the VTC. Diverse self-financing post-secondary programmes are available at post-secondary institutions with a choice of study pathways and multiple entry and exit points.

Eight task forces set up by the government since October 2017 to carry out in-depth reviews on key areas of education (the professional development of teachers, the school curriculum, promotion of vocational and professional education and training, self-financing post-secondary education, school-based management policy, home-school cooperation and parent education and research policy and funding) have all submitted reports to the government and their recommendations are being implemented.

Kindergarten Education

Kindergarten education in Hong Kong is optional, but virtually all children aged three to five were attending kindergartens in the 2019-20 school year.

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