The Times: Dropout rate at Hong Kong schools soars as families flee territory

Hong Kong's secondary schools have lost at least 1,474 pupils in the second half of 2020, according to a survey

Hundreds of secondary school students in Hong Kong have dropped out since the imposition of a draconian national security law by Beijing on the former British colony.

At least 1,474 fewer pupils were enrolled in the system in the July-November period, with about half of them saying that they were withdrawing because they were emigrating with their families, according to a survey of almost 100 Hong Kong schools.

Several western nations, including Britain, have offered Hong Kong residents favourable resettlement terms after Beijing tried to crush pro-democracy protests by imposing a swingeing new security law that prohibits almost all dissent.

That means thousands of families, especially those who are better off financially, are fleeing the territory, withdrawing students and leaving some schools struggling to fill places.

In a rare move, Diocesan Girls’ School, one of the Hong Kong’s premier schools, has begun to accept transfer students while Ying Wa College, another well-known school, reportedly lost about 60 students in recent months. The school headmaster told local media that nearly all schools in the territory faced similar issues.

The full article can be found here (paywall): Dropout rate at Hong Kong schools soars as families flee territory