Secretary for Education Christine Choi said on Saturday that authorities are closely monitoring textbook prices, with data from her bureau showing a 3.6 percent increase for the upcoming school year.

She was speaking after a newspaper reported recently that a full set of books for a student starting secondary school could cost up to HK$7,000.

Choi noted that a textbook subsidy is provided to help low-income families. However, she rejected calls to lower its eligibility threshold and to reinstate the non-means-tested HK$2,500 student grant, scrapped in the 2025-26 school year.

"We want to provide targeted support to families who are genuinely in need. After all, resources aren't infinite," she said on an RTHK programme.

"If we grant subsidies to every student without any vetting, we don't believe that's an effective use of resources, nor does it properly help students and families who truly require assistance."

Choi stressed that the universal HK$2,500 grant was introduced in 2019 during the Covid-19 pandemic as a temporary measure and that it is right to return to standard mechanisms.

The Education Bureau has maintained close communication with publishers over the years, she said, and has repeatedly reminded them to keep costs low.

Choi also addressed reports suggesting that many newly trained teachers are struggling to find work due to declining student numbers.

She said 90 percent of this year's teaching graduates have already secured employment, while some of the rest have chosen to pursue further studies.

Choi noted that, depending on school or subject requirements, some of these graduates are taken on as teaching assistants – roles that do not require them to be registered as teachers.

On promoting the "Study Tour in Hong Kong" brand, she noted that more than 10,000 applications have been lodged for various summer exchange programmes offered by the city's eight publicly funded universities.

The scheme allows mainland and overseas students to get a taste of local university life and living conditions, Choi said, leaving them with a strong impression that may encourage them to choose Hong Kong for their post-secondary studies.




Edited by Robert Kemp