Hong Kong’s largest teacher training institute is set to increase admissions to its self-financed taught master’s programmes in the new school year to almost twice the previous number, as part of a broader initiative to ensure financial sustainability amid a declining birth rate.
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Professor John Lee Chi-kin, president of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdU), revealed at a media briefing on Thursday that the intake would increase to 5,000 for the coming academic year – up from 2,700 last year and 2,100 in 2023-24 – and generate a total gross income of HK$800 million (US$102 million).
In the university’s strategic plan for 2025 to 2031, released earlier this month, financial sustainability was identified as one of the risks faced by the institution due to the city’s declining birth rate and demand for teachers, with a “concerted effort” being launched to formulate mitigation plans and risk management.
“We seek to increase our financial reserve to prepare for the rainy days, now we are seeing some drizzles,” Lee said on Thursday.
“There are both risks and opportunities as it prompts us to exercise more financial prudence and explore new sources of income which align with local and national development.”
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The expansion was also part of an effort to make Hong Kong an international hub for post-secondary education.