LCQ18: Supporting children of non-local talents to study in Hong Kong
15.11.2023

Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (November 15): Question: As at the end of June this year, over 100 000 applications have been received under the various talent admission schemes of the Government, and it has been reported that according to the findings of a survey, 75.8 per cent of the non-local talents interviewed would choose to send their children to primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of students who came to Hong Kong to attend primary and secondary schools as at the end of last month in their capacity as dependants under the various talent admission schemes (i.e. the (i) Top Talent Pass Scheme, (ii) Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, (iii) Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, (iv) Technology Talent Admission Scheme, (v) General Employment Policy, (vi) Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates and (vii) Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents), and set out in Tables 1 to 3 a breakdown by (a) type of school, (b) secondary level and (c) primary level; if it has not compiled such statistics, of the reasons for that; Table 1 (a) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) Government or aided schools Schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme International schools or private schools Table 2 (b) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) Secondary One &hellip;&hellip; Secondary Six Table 3 (c) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) Primary One &hellip;&hellip; Primary Six (2) whether it has assessed the learning situation of the aforesaid students and if the relevant support measures (e.g. language support, study guidance and psychological counselling) are adequate; and (3) of the measures in place to ensure the smooth integration of the aforesaid students into the local learning environment and community; whether it has organised relevant training or seminars to enable educators to better understand and assist these students? Reply: President, The Government has implemented various talent admission schemes to attract talents from the Mainland and around the globe to come to Hong Kong for development, with a view to facilitating the growth of Hong Kong into an international talent hub and making new contributions to the country's high-quality development. Our consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Tang Fei, having consulted the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB), is as follows: (1) The numbers of unmarried dependent children under the age of 18 permitted to come to Hong Kong as dependants under various talent admission schemes during the period from January to October 2023 are set out in the Annex. Under the prevailing arrangement, persons who are permitted to reside in Hong Kong as dependants (including dependants of successful applicants under various talent admission schemes) are not required to obtain prior permission from the Director of Immigration for receiving education in Hong Kong. On the part of secondary and primary schools, they do not need to report to the Education Bureau (EDB) for admitting such dependants. Hence, the Government does not have statistics on the number of dependants studying in Hong Kong. (2) and (3) The EDB provides school placement support services for all children aged six to 15 who are eligible to enrol in public sector schools, including students who are dependants of persons permitted to stay in Hong Kong under various talent admission schemes and study in secondary and primary schools, to receive free primary and secondary education. The four Regional Education Offices under the EDB provide school placement services for the said eligible children in need. Parents may also make reference to the school lists by district on the EDB's website, as well as the Primary School Profiles or Secondary School Profiles on the website of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation and contact the schools concerned directly to apply for a place for their children if necessary. To help newly arrived children adapt to the learning environment in Hong Kong and integrate into the local community, the EDB provides support services for them, including the six-month full-time Initiation Programme arranged by local schools and the 60-hour Induction Programme organised by non-governmental organisations. The contents of these programmes cover language education, learning skills, personal growth and development, and social adaptation. In addition, the EDB provides public sector schools and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme admitting newly arrived children with the School-based Support Scheme Grant, which they can utilise flexibly to provide school-based support services, such as arranging after-school supplementary lessons and organising orientation activities/guidance programmes/extra-curricular activities according to their needs. Persons permitted to stay under different talent admission schemes can also benefit from the above support services. We also encourage teachers to pay close attention to the needs and adaptation of the newly arrived children, and render necessary support to them inside and outside classroom. Apart from the above, the physical office of Hong Kong Talent Engage Office under the LWB, officially established in end-October 2023, will reach out to recruit working partners for providing, through online and offline activities as well as services, talents interested in coming to Hong Kong or those who have just arrived with necessary support in living, work, children's education, etc, to facilitate their settlement in Hong Kong.