Hong Kong school closures spark concern for students with special needs

The growing number of Hong Kong schools facing closure due to insufficient enrolment has raised concerns about the impact on students with special needs, as parents say these at-risk institutions often provide better care and instruction than more stable ones.

Marcia Ng Mun-chi, co-founder and executive director of the Hong Kong Association for AD/HD, recently raised concerns following the Education Bureau’s announcement last month that 15 public primary schools were at risk of closure.

These schools will not be allowed to operate subsidised Primary One classes in the coming academic year due to insufficient enrolment, with authorities saying the figure was the highest in recent years.

Ng, whose group raises awareness about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), said most at-risk schools excelled at supporting students with special educational needs (SEN).

Parents preferred them after seeing their children struggle in mainstream schools, especially elite ones, she added.

Most of these parents had transferred their children to schools that offered lower teacher-to-student ratios and excelled at SEN education, she said.