Hong Kong education authorities have suspended two private schools accused of working with placement or tutoring agencies to help students outside the city qualify for subsidised university programmes, which are reserved for local pupils.
On Monday, the Education Bureau stated that it is investigating claims against institutions that are allegedly collaborating with third-party agencies to run “shell schools”, which aid students in obtaining local status.
The bureau said it had rejected the registration application for Inno Secondary School in Kowloon Tong on July 28. It is the second school that the bureau has suspended in similar circumstances in less than a week. The other school is Tsung Tsin Middle School in Cheung Sha Wan.
Inno Secondary School principal Thomas Qi Wendi previously confirmed to media that the institution had been working with Shenzhen operators to recruit students and offer courses since July.
But he said the school planned to cease the collaborations given the suspension order imposed on another institution accused of working with a mainland Chinese tutorial centre to offer the city’s university entrance examination curriculum without registration.
Inno Secondary School’s proposed programme would allow children to study on the mainland before completing two final years in Hong Kong, where accommodation would be provided.
Qi also told local media he was “confident” his programme did not violate the bureau’s regulations.
What steps has the Education Bureau taken?
Last month, authorities said children of non-local talent would be required to live in the city for at least two years to become eligible for benefits provided to local students at publicly funded tertiary education institutions, starting in the 2027-28 academic year.
The change, which applies to children under the age of 18 who are holders of dependent visas or entry permits, is part of the bureau’s efforts to prevent abuse.
The Education Bureau said it had been in close contact with the school due to its “unsatisfactory management and financial situation”.
The school will cease operations after 2024-25 and its provisional licence will expire on September 30, according to the bureau.
“The [bureau] has not received an official application from the school to register a new campus at Kin Ho Centre in Hung Hom,” it added, referring to the site where the school reportedly planned to operate.
According to Inno Secondary School’s website, it offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) curriculum to Form Three and Four students and the International Advanced Levels (IAL) to Form Five and Six students.
According to the school’s website, students must be living in the city with a parent holding the appropriate immigration status.
Which other school was suspended?
Education authorities said on Friday last week that they had suspended Tsung Tsin Middle School.
The private school was accused of collaborating with a Shenzhen-based tutorial centre to offer the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination curriculum at the institution without registration.
The tutorial centre, Capture Star, denied the allegation, saying that it had only acted as an agent to recruit students for Tsung Tsin Middle School.
The bureau said schools could not collaborate with third-party organisations that directly charged parents or students for on-campus courses in Hong Kong, unless approval had been granted.
It said it urged local education institutions to follow the law and “reminded parents and students not to be misled by unverified information or illegal promotions”.
