Shutting down schools, Hong Kong’s latest repressive move
Educational authorities refuse to allow parents to save the Po Yan Oblate Primary School, a historic Catholic school sponsored by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. In September, it might have no first grade and so risks closing in 2026. A declining birth rate and emigration caused by the National Security Law have reduced the number of pupils. Schools unaligned with the Beijing might be the ones that end up on the chopping block.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Hong Kong’s Education Bureau has rejected plans to save Po Yan Oblate Primary School.
Located in Kowloon, the historic Catholic school sponsored by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate is among the five establishments not authorised to open a first grade class (primary one) at the start of next school year because only 15 pupils enrolled, one short of the required minimum.
For a long time, the school epitomised the Church's presence in Hong Kong. Its current fate highlights the difficult situation Catholic educational establishments face at present. Without a first year class, the school risks closing permanently in September 2026.
When the then British colony was flooded with refugees from mainland China after the communist takeover in 1949, the diocese led the way in trying to meet the educational needs of a swelling population.
In 1965 the Po Yan Oblate Primary School was opened, growing over the years along with the big city. In 2000, Card John Baptist Wu, then bishop of Hong Kong, cut the ribbon of the new large building. Today, however, things are very different and the education system mirrors the shift.
In the early 2000s, after the territory was transferred to China, then Bishop Joseph Zen led a long battle against a school reform proposed by the Hong Kong government. Introduced in 2004, it placed the education sector under tighter government control.
The Po Yan Oblate Primary School’s decline was compounded by a declining birth rate and the flight of thousands of families after Hong Kong authorities cracked down hard on the pro-democracy movement in 2019 and Beijing imposed a national security law on the territory in 2020.
The numbers are clear. Some 56,500 children were born in Hong Kong in 2017 most of whom are expected to enrol in first grade this year, compared to 60,900 the previous year. In 2022, the number of newborns was just 32,500. So it is easy to see that plans to "reorganise" schools are just at their beginning.
The question is what criteria will Hong Kong educational authorities use to choose which school to save?
In the case of the Po Yan Oblate Primary School, the alumni association has mobilised to save it by seeking to raise funds (HK$ 3 million or US$ 383,000) to pay for private Primary One classes.
Would-be donors stressed that the school was especially strong in meeting the requirements of special needs children.
On Saturday, parents and pupils tried in vain to speak directly with Education Secretary Christine Choi Yuk-lin, on the sidelines of an event held at an establishment in Lok Fu.
For its part, the Education Bureau has steadfastly rejected their demand to consider allowing a private primary class for the coming school year (2023/2024).
The issue is clearly not just a question of money but rather a clash over the place of patriotic propaganda in Hong Kong schools.
It is no accident for instance that the crackdown in 2019 targeted especially universities. Thus, choosing which school to keep open and which ones to close is not a politically neutral decision.
Pang Siu-fong, chairwoman of the Wong Tai Sin school’s alumni association, told the South China Morning Post that another nearby school kept government support despite not having enough pupils enrolled.
“It is a kind of injustice,” she said, since “our school serves students with special education needs [SEN] wholeheartedly”.
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09/07/2007
