Twin city synergies boost education options for Shanghai, HK students
Print Edition
There was a long-standing trend in which Chinese mainlanders, including celebrities such as actors and singers, were eager to enroll their children into Hong Kong schools.
But in recent years, some Hong Kong celebrities, such as singer Miriam Yeung, have been working more in Shanghai and even brought their children to attend well-acclaimed international schools equal to those in Hong Kong.
This is a typical phenomenon of the synergistic development in education in the two cities since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland.
With enhanced social and economic exchanges between Shanghai and Hong Kong, educational resources in the two cities have become popular among students and parents in both metropolises.
In the basic education area, many schools in Hong Kong have been paired with mainland partners to share experiences and resources for coordinated development.
In the past five years, more than 300 mutual visits have been made by over 5,000 teachers and students from Shanghai and Hong Kong.
China’s education commission said such visits were helpful in improving teachers’ capabilities and enhancing students’ mutual understanding.
“Shanghai and Hong Kong had long deep cooperation in history, especially in trade and finance, but there were limited exchanges in education in the past,” said Shan Yangzhong, director of the China Senior College Exhibition Committee.
“The return of Hong Kong opened up a vast range of prospects for educational cooperation between the two cities in various ways.”
In 2003, the Ministry of Education approved eight public Hong Kong universities, such as University of Hong Kong and Chinese University of Hong Kong, to recruit students from the mainland. Some later began to recruit students under the system of gaokao, Chinese mainland’s college entrance examination.
Besides assessing students’ gaokao scores, most universities also organize extra tests or interviews during the admission process. Such practices have been adopted by an increasing number of mainland universities, too.
Unlike applying for universities in the United States and Europe, students don’t have to take extra tests, such as International Baccalaureate and General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, also known as IB and A-Levels. These are quite different from regular high-school classes.
The exclusive application channels also give mainland students more opportunities to receive high-quality education in Hong Kong as they don’t have to vie with more competitors in schools’ global admission plans.
As the admission process for Hong Kong universities takes place ahead of most mainland universities, many students submit applications.
The chance to study and live in an environment combining Eastern and Western cultures has also been accretive.
Many top gaokao scorers submit applications every year.
Shanghai was among the first eight cities and provinces to trial the programs. The admission information sessions usually attract crowds of students and parents wanting to talk with admission officers directly about application procedures, scholarships, campus life and career opportunities after graduation.
More Hong Kong universities joined the program gradually and their recruitment has extended nationwide. In 2012, Hong Kong universities announced they would extend their three-year undergraduate system to four years, fully connecting with the system on the mainland.
About 20,000 mainland students study in Hong Kong universities annually. This year 15 Hong Kong universities are open to mainland students with stable admission plans.
According to the Shanghai Education Commission, currently there are 2,433 Hong Kong students studying in universities in the city.
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