meIn a few weeks, eight-year-old Peter* will say goodbye to his school friends as he moves to Britain with his parents. In recent years, children in Hong Kong have become accustomed to seeing more and more of their friends leave the city.
A decade-long decline in the birth rate, exacerbated by a recent exodus of residents from the city, has led to an alarming drop in the number of students and teachers, leaving Hong Kong’s education system facing a serious crisis.
According to official figures, more than 64,000 students – from kindergarten to high school – withdrew from the local education system in the past two years. During the last academic year (2021-2022), more than 33,600 students, or 4% of the total student population, dropped out, 10% more than the previous year. Local media reported that at least five schools face closure in the coming years after they failed to meet the minimum 16 enrollments in first grade.
Parents and teachers say the imposition of Hong Kong’s national security law three years ago, which emphasizes “patriotic education”, as well as strong academic pressure, have prompted them to leave the city they love.
Implemented in 2020 to end months-long anti-government protests, the national security law provides penalties as severe as life in prison for crimes such as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.
Authorities attribute widespread youth participation in anti-government protests to the failure of schools and universities to discipline their students. Considered a breeding ground for government animosity, educational institutions are now under serious scrutiny, according to education professionals who declined to be identified for fear of violating national security law.
In 2019, high schools in Hong Kong became an ideological battleground for pro-democracy protesters with thousands of students taking part in human chain demonstrations. Photograph: AFP
In the past three years, a number of measures have been introduced to increase patriotism and “national security awareness” among students. From primary school, students learn the concepts of “secession”, “subversion”, “terrorist activities” and “collusion with a foreign country”. Meanwhile, liberal studies, a subject that is supposed to develop critical and pluralistic thinking, will be replaced from September by “citizenship and social development”, which emphasizes loyalty to the authorities.
Kelvin Mak*, Peter’s father, said the rapid erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong has led him to seek a more normal life for his only son.
“I want them to have an objective mind and not be brainwashed. When they are not allowed to say this or think that, they will be ill-prepared for the future world,” he said.
Eva Lai*, a mother of two, said she decided to leave Hong Kong as soon as the national security law was passed. “You can break the law just by saying the wrong things. I’m afraid my kids will get in trouble,” she said.
Their fears are justified; in 2022, a school suspended 14 students for “disrespectful behavior” for failing to stand during the national anthem and flag-raising ceremony.
“Teachers must self-censor all the time”
Teachers have also been affected by low morale. Those interviewed by the Guardian say that the new ideological requirements and the constant fear of being denounced for critical comments have taken their toll.
According to official data, about 6,500 teachers resigned or withdrew from their jobs in Hong Kong schools during the last academic year, almost double the average figure before the 2021 emigration wave. More than the half of them quit before reaching retirement age.
Starting with the new academic year in September, new teachers are required to pass national security exams and take study trips to China.
Rick Tam*, a liberal studies teacher, resigned after receiving two warnings from his school for his online criticism of authorities.
“I found the toxic atmosphere of the school upsetting,” he says. “Under national security law, what you say in class can be interpreted as criticism of the government and that can be held against you.”
The restrictions have led to low morale among teachers, said a principal who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The red line is continuously and arbitrarily changing … so teachers have to self-censor all the time,” he said.
In July last year, seven people had their teaching licenses revoked for their role in the anti-government protests, according to local media. Two years ago, a primary school teacher in Hong Kong was fired after being accused of using pro-independence material in class when explaining the concepts of freedom of expression and independence.
Education professionals say that based on current statistics, student numbers will continue to decline.
Although Hong Kong’s birth rate has been consistently low, political uncertainties have further suppressed it, according to Professor Chung Kim-wah, a former social scientist at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. A 2016 study found that worsening political freedoms in upper-middle-income countries exert downward pressure on fertility rates.
The director fears that under all the restrictions, Hong Kong’s next generation lacks the skills to deal with rapidly changing global challenges.
“If you want young people to have creativity, lateral thinking and other soft skills, you need freedom in education, and that can’t be achieved by just being obedient and loyal,” he said.
*Names have been changed
