Hong Kong parents dismayed after HK$2,500 student grant axed in budget

Annual grants of HK$2,500 (US$321) for each of the nearly 800,000 students in Hong Kong will be cut while spending on public universities will be slashed by HK$2.8 billion over the next three years, leaving parents unhappy about the way the government opted to tighten the belt.

In an unprecedented move, the government also said it would claw back HK$4 billion from the reserves of the eight public universities.

The estimated recurrent expenditure on education is expected to drop by 2.3 per cent to HK$102.9 billion in the 2025-26 financial year.

One of the measures was to cut a grant given to nearly 800,000 students every year since 2019-20, according to the book of estimates the government released on Wednesday.

“The bureau will abolish the provision of the student grant of HK$2,500 for secondary day school, primary school and kindergarten students from the 2025-26 school year,” the document read.

The move will save the government HK$2 billion in expenditure annually.