Development Focus

• To encourage cooperation and exchange among higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao.
• To jointly set up laboratories and research centres.
• To share and commercialise scientific research outcomes.
• To promote schools in Hong Kong to pair up with schools in the Greater Bay Area as sister schools.

• With world-class universities, Hong Kong is well-positioned as a regional education hub. Among the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities, four universities were ranked the world's top 50 in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2021 and in Asia's top 20 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020. Also, three emerging universities in Hong Kong were ranked the world's top 20 in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2020. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was ranked the top in the QS Joint EMBA Program 2019 and second in the Financial Times Executive MBA Ranking 2019. As to the University of Hong Kong, its MBA programme was rated second in Asia by the Economist in 2019; its Faculty of Dentistry was ranked the world's fourth in the QS Rankings in 2020; and its Faculty of Education ranked third globally in the Times Higher Education World Rankings 2020 by Subject.
• Since the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR, education cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland has reached a new pedestal, achieving good progress in areas such as joint offering of educational programmes, student exchange, scientific research collaboration and professional training.
• The HKSAR Government supports post-secondary institutions of Hong Kong to offer education services in the Greater Bay Area and to give full play to the characteristics of Hong Kong's higher education sector and their strength in terms of internationalisation. This will help develop the Greater Bay Area as an international education base as well as open up collaborative innovation opportunities for students in Hong Kong and Guangdong. Following the establishment of Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College by the Hong Kong Baptist University and Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai in 2005, and the establishment of Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Shenzhen University in 2014, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is also in active preparation for its new campus in Guangzhou. The target is to commence operation in September 2021.
• In 2017, a policy to facilitate the issuance of the Employment Registration Certificates for Hong Kong students was implemented, so that more job opportunities would be available to Hong Kong students who wish to work in the Mainland after their graduation from Mainland universities.
• Shenzhen has allowed Hong Kong children to apply, through a points system, for free education in public schools since 2017. These children are treated equally as local students. According to the information provided by the Department of Education of Guangdong Province, most cities in the Greater Bay Area (e.g. Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Foshan and Dongguan) have allowed Hong Kong children to enjoy the same treatment as local students. These children may enrol in public schools through the points system or the principle of vicinity.
• The Central Government announced on 6 November 2019 the measure to ensure that Hong Kong and Macao residents or children of Hong Kong and Macao residents enjoy pre-primary education services in accordance with regulations at their place of residence, and that the children of Hong Kong and Macao residents can participate in the senior high school entrance examination for senior high school admittance based on local policies for children who relocated with their parents.
• The Sister School Scheme serves as a platform to facilitate exchange and cooperation between Hong Kong and Mainland schools. Schools can expand their networks, enhance mutual understanding and communication, deepen the cultural understanding of the two places, and achieve mutual advancement in education.
• Since 2004, there have been a number of local schools forming sister schools with schools in the Beijing Municipality, Shanghai Municipality, Ningbo Municipality, Guangdong Province, Sichuan Province, Zhejiang Province and Fujian Province. Among these provinces/municipalities the Guangdong-Hong Kong Sister School Scheme is the largest in scale, accounting for about 70 per cent of schools participating in the Sister School Scheme.
• In June 2019, the Education Bureau signed the Letter of Intent on Qualifications Framework Co-operation between Guangdong and Hong Kong with the Department of Education of the Guangdong Province. It covers QF co-operation between the two places, the exploration of mutual recognition of credits in different categories of education and training in the Greater Bay Area, and the promotion of talent exchange in the Greater Bay Area.

Source: Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau