'More Places At International Schools Due To Covid'

The government said on Wednesday that there are more than 5,600 vacancies at international schools across Hong Kong this year, up 22 percent from the last academic year.

In a written reply to a question from Business and Professionals Alliance lawmaker Jeffrey Lam, the Education Bureau said the jump in vacancies could've been down to some families of non-local students returning home during the pandemic.

"Amid the Covid-19 epidemic, some non-local students might have moved back to their hometowns with their families, resulting in a higher than usual dropout rate among non-local students," it said, noting however that the overall enrolment at international schools remained stable during the pandemic.

Local students make up more than a third of the student population at international schools this year, compared to less than a quarter in 2018-19.

The bureau said with Hong Kong returning to normality, schools are expected to gradually take in more non-local students again.

It said it will closely monitor the demand and supply of places at both international and local schools.