South China Morning Post
Two-thirds of Hong Kong private colleges fell short of 2020 enrolment goals – often badly
More than two-thirds of Hong Kong’s private tertiary institutions failed to meet their enrolment targets this year amid a continuing decline in the number of high school leavers, with one meeting just 10 per cent of its goal and another recording no new enrolments at all.The latest figures from the Education Bureau show that among the city’s 28 self-financing colleges – which serve mainly those whose exam results do not gain them entry to public universities – at least 19 were unable to meet their hoped-for enrolments for the 2020-21 academic year.Sector representatives said apart from a drop in Hong Kong’s student population, the double whammy of last year’s anti-government protests and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic had also made it less likely pupils from mainland China would seek to study in the city.Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.Given that the places available at local public universities remained the same while the student population has decreased year-on-year, the pressure has all come down to our sectorPeter Yuen, Polytechnic University’s College of Professional and Continuing Education“It is not unexpected. Given that the places available at local public universities remained the same while the student population has decreased year-on-year, the pressure has all come down to our sector,” said Professor Peter Yuen Pok-man, dean of Polytechnic University’s College of Professional and Continuing Education.The number of high school leavers has dropped significantly, from about 57,000 in 2016 to 46,000 this year, but there has been no change to the approximately 15,000 first-year undergraduate programme placements available at eight publicly funded universities.That means a higher percentage of applicants are gaining entry, leaving fewer in need of the more than 30,000 places offered by self-financing institutions that provide bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees and higher diplomas.A Post analysis of enrolment data provided by the bureau on Wednesday found 17 of the 28 private tertiary institutions recorded a drop in admission figures compared with last year.At the 73-year-old Chu Hai College of Higher Education, student enrolment in 2020-21 hit its lowest level in at least a decade, with 82 students admitted, down from 155 the previous academic year. It had hoped to enrol 800 students both years.The city’s largest vocational education body, the Vocational Training Council, also saw a sharp decline in enrolment in self-financing courses, admitting about 3,100 students this year – roughly 1,000 fewer than last year. Its 2020 enrolment target was 4,075.Meanwhile, zero students were admitted this year at Caritas Institute of Community Education, despite an enrolment target of 80. The institution provides higher diploma programmes in early childhood education, as well as health and community care for the elderly. Poorly performing Hong Kong colleges face threat of deregistrationAmong the seven tertiary institutions that did exceed their enrolment targets, Hong Kong Institute of Technology admitted 334 students this year, up from last year’s 256, and Caritas Bianchi College of Careers enrolled 348 students, up from 159 in 2019.In 2018, a government-appointed task force found some of the private institutions had been criticised for substandard teaching, as well as consistently failing to meet enrolment targets.A government committee on self-financing postsecondary education is currently examining that report, which is aimed at amending a 1960 ordinance in order to tighten the regulatory framework for private tertiary institutions and set out criteria for deregistering institutions that perform poorly.Yuen, of PolyU’s College of Professional and Continuing Education, said uncertainties loomed for the sector over the next several years, despite the number of high school leavers being expected to gradually begin rising once again from 2023 onwards.“Whether student enrolment will actually increase remains to be seen … [or] whether students from mainland China will return to Hong Kong,” he said. Tuition fees rise at one in five private and semi-private schools in Hong KongA former chairman of the Federation for Self-financing Tertiary Education, Yuen said he expected smaller-scale private institutions to suffer more than bigger ones, especially because of an “already saturated market” that featured tight competition among schools.He also urged the government to consider relaxing the existing 10 per cent cap on these institution’s intake of non-local students to allow more flexibility.In a reply to the Post, a spokesman from Caritas Institute of Community Education said the college had earlier decided to stop enrolling new students for its higher diploma courses this year “due to developmental needs”, with one programme undergoing a revamp that would not be rolled out until next year and another being scrapped.He added that the institution was “not too worried” about meeting future enrolment targets, as its programmes would remain attractive given their high quality.A spokeswoman from Chu Hai College said they had been actively reviewing and reforming their current courses amid the student enrolment drop, while the Vocational Training Council said only that they would continue to provide a variety of courses for pupils.This article Two-thirds of Hong Kong private colleges fell short of 2020 enrolment goals – often badly first appeared on South China Morning PostFor the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
December 11, 2020 at 02:37AM
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