Govt Merges Two Schools, Citing Drop In Pupil Numbers

The Education Bureau (EDB) announced on Tuesday that it is merging two secondary schools in light of what it described as a projected structural decline in the secondary school population.

Kowloon Technical School will merge with Lung Cheung Government Secondary School from the academic year starting next September.

Current secondary one to three students at Lung Cheung will be transferred to the premises of Kowloon Technical when they reach form four, while existing senior pupils at Lung Cheung will complete their secondary education at their current campus.

Lung Cheung will cease operating secondary one and secondary four classes from next September and will close altogether in the 2024/25 school year.

In a statement, the EDB said it had carefully considered various factors, including changes in the demand and supply of school places.

"Both [schools] were former technical schools with similar backgrounds. The premises of Kowloon Technical School is spacious enough to accommodate the transfer students from the Lung Cheung Government Secondary School," a spokesman said.

"The merger will not only alleviate the situation of excessive supply of school places in Wong Tai Sin District but also integrate resources of the two schools to provide students with a better learning environment and richer learning experience."

The EDB added that it will continue to closely monitor changes in Hong Kong's student population.

Speaking to reporters, a form one student studying at Lung Cheung said he hopes more resources can be allocated to the school after the merger and that he can meet more friends and learn more subjects.

Other students, however, said they will miss their old school, with a form two pupil saying he is worried he won't get used to the new environment.