Hong Kong is struggling to meet the demand for places for children at its international schools even though the number of these schools has grown significantly in recent years.
Hong Kong
It is as a result of a surge by British and American expats to Hong Kong since 2010, fuelled by job opportunities in the banking sector, coupled with an increasing desire for local families to have their children educated at the international schools that is creating the huge demand. There are now over 15,000 British and almost 30,000 American expats living in Hong Kong and those with children are requiring places at the international schools there, many of which already have waiting lists for September 2012.
According to ISC Research, the organisation that researches and analyses data on international schools worldwide, in the year 2000 there were 70 schools in Hong Kong teaching 37,800 students. Today that number has increased to 164 international schools teaching 64,300 students. On Hong Kong Island alone there are 74 schools, with another 37 in Kowloon, and 45 in the New Territories. 21 of these schools including Island School and the Chinese International School, both on Hong Kong Island, have an intake of well over 1000 students. 42% of all these international schools follow the English National Curriculum, 10% follow a US curriculum and 14% follow an international curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate; all popular choices not only for UK and American expats but for the local families too who see this as a route to better opportunities for their children in the worlds most respected universities. It is the significant increase in the number of local students applying to the international schools, along with the surge in expats to the area that is driving this high demand.
Nicholas Brummitt, Managing Director of ISC Research Ltd says: “There is an acute shortage of places in Hong Kong. The existing schools are responding by rapidly expanding existing facilities wherever they can, but demand is predicted to outstrip supply for a number of years. A great many new schools are opening over the next couple of years. These include more schools linked to prestigious parent schools in the UK such as the brand new, state of the art Harrow International School located in Tuen Mun in the New Territories and which will open in September 2012.”
But for expats, the situation currently looks tough and the word from schools is apply as soon as you can.
Highlighted article by ISC Reasearch. ISC Research is the only organisation that supplies data and market analyses covering all the world’s English-medium international schools; data that it has been tracking for over twenty years. The latest market updates plus individual school information, news, statistical overviews, and country reports are all available from ISC Research www.iscresearch.com
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