Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and has a population of 6.96 million people. Under the principle of 'one country, two systems', a free market economy and way of life has been maintained in the former British colony since 1 July 1997.
Public spending on education is more than 20 per cent and has been increasing year-on-year since the mid-1990s. Education is highly regarded as a means to enhancing social status and career opportunities. It is compulsory from the age of six, for nine years. From the 2008-09 academic year access to free education will be extended from nine to 12 years. More than 90 per cent of children receive three years of pre-school education, heavily subsidised through a voucher scheme introduced in 2007.
The government has, since 1997, embarked on a programme of education reforms that aim to improve the quality of education and widen the access to senior secondary education to all students from 2009. Reforms have also aimed to increase post-secondary opportunities to 60 per cent of the age group, a target exceeded in 2005. In 2006 64 per cent of the age group entered post-secondary education, with much of the increase generated by the government’s support for a new self-financed Associate Degree sector. Reforms in curriculum, assessment, and teaching and learning, aim to improve students’ communication skills, critical thinking and creativity, and to prepare them for living and working in a knowledge-based economy and society.
There will be a continuing shortage of sixth form places until the last cohort of students enter the current two-year senior secondary programme in 2010. There is also a shortage of undergraduate places for qualified students in Hong Kong, which will increase after the reforms as the government has no plans to increase the number of publicly-funded first degree places. Demand for GCSEs, A-levels, and UK undergraduate programmes has been increasing since 1996.
The Hong Kong education system has traditionally been modelled on that of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, due to the historical relationship with the UK. At secondary, students study for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE), equivalent to GCSEs and taken at age 17, and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE), take at 19. An undergraduate degree normally takes three years to complete.
In 2009 the new academic structure for senior secondary education will be introduced. This will comprise of three-year junior secondary education and three-year senior secondary education followed by four-year university education (the so-called "3+3+4" system). HKCEE and HKALE will be replaced by one single school leaving qualification, the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). A new senior secondary curriculum will be launched aiming to broaden students' education and remove the specialist streaming of students into arts and sciences from Secondary Four. Students will study four core subjects – Chinese, English, Mathematics and Liberal Studies. The latter is a cross-discipline subject covering personal growth, society and culture, and science, technology and environment, and will involve an inquiry-based approach to learning. Students will also take two to three elective subjects from 20 options. These include both academic and applied learning courses. Physical, aesthetic and careers education, as well as community service, complete the baccalaureate-style programme.
Chinese is the language of instruction in most schools, with English taught as a second language from kindergarten onwards. Under the government’s medium of instruction policy, approximately 112 secondary schools are permitted to use English as the medium of instruction from Secondary One and the remaining 391 secondary schools use Cantonese. These schools can switch medium of instruction by class / subject at senior secondary levels. Entry to secondary school remains selective, with students divided at the end of primary schooling into three ability bands for secondary allocation. Band one students are more likely to be allocated to the most popular English-medium schools. Internationalisation is high on the government agenda. Universities in Hong Kong are actively seeking and developing links with overseas institutions for student exchange, academic exchange and research collaboration. To broaden their horizons, students are encouraged to participate in exchange programmes for a semester or a year during their undergraduate studies.
There is a well-established tradition among Hong Kong families of sending their children to study overseas. According to a Thematic Household Survey Report on 'Pattern of study in higher education', by the Census and Statistics Department in October 2005, there were 45,700 people aged 15 and above who intended to study higher education outside Hong Kong in the next three years. Among these, 32.4 per cent intended to study in the UK, followed by Australia (23.1 per cent), Canada (15.0 per cent) and the USA (14.9 per cent).
There are some long-established agents representing UK institutions. However, there are more new agents who are developing their business opportunities with UK institutions since the launch of the Prime Minister's Initiative in 1999, and many more working with Australian institutions. Agents are used by students for sourcing information about UK education, but not as much as the Internet, family and friends, and the British Council (according to the latest MORI survey).
Australia, the USA and Canada are the major English-speaking countries that are active in attracting Hong Kong students. According to the latest comparable figures, the UK is the leading international study destination for school and higher education:
- 6,210 students from Hong Kong were studying in UK independent schools in 2006-07 (accounting for 30 per cent of their international students), compared with 1,641 students at school level in Australia in 2006, the closest competitor;
- 9,759 students from Hong Kong were studying in UK higher education in 2006-07, ahead of Australia with 9,161 students in 2007, and the US with 7,722 in 2006-07.
- 57 per cent of market share of transnational education programmes in Hong Kong (December 2007). UK institutions offered 662 courses in Hong Kong, compared with 312 offered by Australia and 85 by the US.
(Sources: HESA, IIE, AIE 2007, EDB)
Hong Kong offers opportunities for many sectors, due to its demand for independent school education, further education, higher education (undergraduate, top-up degree and taught Master’s programmes) and in-country transitional education programmes. There is strong popular demand for English-medium education, regarded as important to ensure access to higher education and good career prospects. With places limited in Hong Kong, many families continue to look to overseas alternatives, in particular to the UK.
Hong Kong is the top source market for international students in independent schools (30 per cent in 2006/2007 - Source: ISC International). The UCAS statistics showed that over 5 per cent of applications made by HK students and accepted by UCAS*, from October 2006 to September 2007, were from those studying in UK independent schools. This data only applied to applications submitted through the UCAS procedure.
*Please note that the location of students at the time of application was not indicated in 23 per cent of these applications.
For post-16 state and independent colleges, there is growing interest in intensive GCSEs, GCE A-levels and one-year university access foundation courses. Although there has been a slight decline in Hong Kong students in further education, there remains an interest in HNDs in subjects such as hotel, catering and tourism management; sports science; and management. However, the majority of Hong Kong students in FE colleges pursue traditional academic courses such as A-levels, along with English-language courses.
HESA figures indicate that Hong Kong is the sixth largest market for non-EU students international students studying in UK higher education, Hong Kong student numbers grew 2 per cent in 2006-07, to 9,795, up from 9,575 in 2005-06.
Hong Kong is the fourth largest market for non-EU undergraduate students in the UK. Undergraduate recruitment grew 5 per cent in 2006-07, to 7,260, according to the HESA data. The latest UCAS statistics, meanwhile, show a continued rise in the number of university applications from Hong Kong – a rise of 5 per cent (as of 15 January 2008), over the same period last year. Popular courses at undergraduate level include business studies, accounting, computer science, design studies and economics. At postgraduate level, the following courses are gaining popularity due to the changing economy in Hong Kong: education; business; clinical medicine; engineering and law.
Hong Kong students studying at postgraduate level in the UK declined by 4 per cent in 2006-07, to 2,530 from 2,640 the previous year, according to HESA data. This may be largely due to increasing local provision, including the growing number of UK courses offered with local universities and private providers. The strength of the local economy and corresponding career opportunities are also factors prompting students to study part-time in Hong Kong rather than travel overseas for full-time courses.
British Council Hong Kong moved to its purpose-built building, next to the British Consulate General, in 1996. Each month, our 200 staff provide services to 8,000 members of the community who visit us, and to a further 40,000 who access our virtual services.
We organise a range of work in collaboration with the Education Bureau, which we hope will contribute to an overall improvement in the standard of English in Hong Kong, as well as a professional dialogue between policy-makers and educational practitioners in the UK and Hong Kong supporting the improvement of education.
We aim to provide a service to UK education providers and to Hong Kong stakeholders which will:
- profile UK education and its relevance to the development of education in Hong Kong;
- position the UK as a preferred partner for Hong Kong, by highlighting relevant UK excellence;
- promote strategic collaboration between Hong Kong and the UK's education communities and networks;
Hong Kong is one of the three markets where education promotion first began, in 1984. The first education exhibition was the clearing mission in August 1986. The British Council currently organises two annual Education UK exhibitions in Hong Kong, every August and January/February. The January/February exhibition attracted an average 88 institutions and 9,400 visitors in 2007 and 2008. The August event was attended by an average 75 institutions and 8,000 visitors in 2006 and 2007. The council also organises two information days for boarding schools and colleges, as well as seminars on UK education throughout the year.
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