The school year once again started in Hong Kong on Monday, September 3, after two months summer break. About 60,000 Primary One students made their way to Tsuen Wan Trade Association Primary School, and around 100 of them were new pupils.
Approximately, 70 out of those 100 new pupils were cross-border students. They came from Shenzhen, which was across mainland China's boundary.
Tsuen Wan Trade Association Primary School's Primary One has a lot of pupils that live across Hong Kong's border. However, things are about to change in 2019.
According to the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong government started to forbid hospitals to admit mainland women to give birth in 2013. About 202,000 kids born from mainland mothers received permanent residency and free education at local schools, even though their fathers were not permanent residents of the country, from 2001 to 2012.
It resulted in a great competition between Hong Kong's primary schools, especially the ones close to the mainland border.
A total of 32,171 children joined Hong Kong's Central Allocation for Primary One Admission this year. But the Education Bureau revealed there were only 22,486 granted. It had a success rate of 69.9 percent, which was far higher compared to 2017's 67.7 percent.
Parents can enroll their children in a public or government-funded school at the "discretionary stage," where they offered a "place based on a points system." If ever their kids are not accepted, they have another chance to go through central allocation.
Tsuen Wan Trade Association Primary School principal Chow Kim-ho noticed the sudden reduction in cross-border pupils since April 2017. However, the number dramatically decreased this year.
"The effect is much stronger," he said.
Shenzhen Education Bureau said children, who were born to mainland parents but born in Hong Kong, could apply in public primary schools in the city. It was even if their registered house address was not on the mainland.
This move was reportedly made to reduce the number of cross-border pupils to ease the pressure on Hong Kong. However, mainland parents feared their children might not have the chance to be in reputable public schools in Shenzhen.
In an announcement made in April 2017, it revealed students from Hong Kong, Macau, and others whose registered household address was outside of Shenzhen could apply to be in the city's public schools. It would be made possible through a point system.
To recall, children who were born in Hong Kong were once allowed to be in public schools in Shenzhen. But this changed in 2012.
