Students Kardan Ngai (from left), Maximilian Wong and Caspar Wu celebrate their school allocation results. Photo: Kelly FungTears of joy and waves of applause have filled classrooms as Hong Kong Primary Six pupils received their assigned secondary school admission results on Tuesday.
Among pupils at Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road) who secured their first-choice school was Maximilian Wong. The 11-year-old teared up and hugged his best friends Caspar Wu Ho-him and Kardan Ngai tsz-ho upon receiving the good news.
“The happiest thing about getting into my desired school is that I can study at the same school my father went to. Many of my friends also got in, so I can still hang out with them,” said Wong, who was assigned to Wan Yan College, Kowloon.
Wu, who will attend the same school, said: “We have been classmates since kindergarten and six years in primary school. I’m very excited and moved.”
His father Patrick Wu was overjoyed to see his son get into his first-choice school. However, he stressed that academic results were not the most important factor in his child’s secondary education.
“This is only the beginning of another phase. To me, developing core values through our Catholic faith is more important than academic results. I hope that through God’s guidance, he can receive a good education,” he said.
Ngai said he was relieved to get into St Paul’s College as he was drawn to its friendly environment and variety of STEM activities.
62% of Hong Kong students get first choice of secondary school
This year, 62 per cent of primary school pupils in Hong Kong secured their first-choice secondary school through the central allocation system, the lowest proportion since 2020 and down from last year’s 66 per cent.
Shedding tears of joy was Valerie Kwong Tsz-lun, 12, who had previously been placed on the waiting list after applying directly to Queen Elizabeth School through the discretionary stage of the applications process.
“I thought I would end up door-knocking if I couldn’t get in,” she said, referring to the common practice of applying directly to a school after failing to get in via the central allocation system. “My parents had high expectations, and I was so glad I got it.”
The pupil said her ideal secondary school life would be less stressful, allowing her more time to pursue her personal interests such as learning K-pop and skipping rope.
At Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road), parents who were dissatisfied with their children’s school allocation requested recommendation letters from the principal so they could use it for door-knocking at their desired schools.
However, with a larger number of students advancing to secondary school this year, the competition for spots at popular schools has become more intense. Those aiming to get into their preferred schools stand a lower chance of success than in previous years.
Last year, the Education Bureau halved quotas for schools to allow door-knocking, due to the falling pupil population. Schools could only use one of two places reserved in Form One classes for repeat students to enrol new students who were unhappy with their allocated institutions.
At Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road), 89 per cent of students were allocated one of their top three choices of schools, slightly lower than the city’s average rate of 91 per cent.
Polly Chan Suk-yee, the school’s principal, attributed the lower rate to parents’ higher expectations in picking top schools, as well as increased competition from mainland Chinese students accepted to local schools through the government’s talent schemes.
“Among school principals, we have noticed that more transfer students are coming to Hong Kong to study through the top talent pass scheme,” she said.
“For our school, we have accepted Primary Five students through these schemes. As they participate in the central allocation system, this naturally increases the pool of students looking for a spot in secondary school.”
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Chan believed the competition between mainland students and local students was “inevitable but positive”.
“There will inevitably be some competition between local students and others from the mainland, but we don’t think there’s a need to worry too much. We don’t distinguish between local and non-local students,” she said.
“Every child, whether from the mainland China or local, adds to Hong Kong’s vitality in society. So I believe that in a fair competition, that’s a positive thing.”
She added that the door-knocking practice among parents would persist, as some were “overly ambitious” in choosing their preferred schools, even if their children were assigned to a school within their top three choices. She encouraged parents to be supportive of their children and trust the schools they were assigned to.
“I’m more worried about parents attempting door-knocking too many times, which might affect students’ self confidence,” she said. “As long as children put in effort and parents support them with an encouraging mindset without putting too much pressure on them, they will be all right.”