‘This Drop Came So Quickly’: Shrinking Schools Add to Hong Kong Exodus
The New York Times
The Chinese territory is experiencing its biggest population drop in decades as residents flee political repression and a new “patriotic” curriculum.
HONG KONG — Long before the school year began, Chim Hon Ming, a primary school principal in Hong Kong, knew this year’s student body would be smaller. The city’s birthrate had already been falling, and families were increasingly frustrated by Hong Kong’s strict pandemic restrictions and the political turmoil.
Even he was not prepared for the extent of the exodus. When school started last month in his district of western Hong Kong Island, the first-grade classes were about 10 percent smaller than the previous year’s — a decrease of more than 100 students.
“This drop came so quickly,” Mr. Chim said.
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