The new academic year has seen 70 Primary One classes at 66 Hong Kong schools axed as the city contends with a shrinking student population, as a sector representative warns that tens of thousands of youngsters arriving under talent policies have done little to alleviate the shortfall.
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Ten schools opened either a single Primary One class or none at all among the tally, following years of declining enrolment that put the institutions at risk of closure as industry veterans warned the worst was yet to come.
The data was revealed in profiles of 453 government and aided primary schools published by the Committee on Home-School Co-operation on Monday.
The reports serve as key reference materials for parents selecting schools for their children.
The latest profiles showed 66 schools had cut a total of 70 Primary One classes in the new academic year, including four institutions that had been forced to close two such classes.