IN an increasingly competitive and connected world, education is of vital importance. Reflecting that, Hong Kong SAR Government’s total expenditure on education increased from HK$54.3 billion (US$6.95 billion) in 2005-06 to HK$79.1 billion in 2015-16 according to revised estimates, or 18.5 percent of total government spending.

Education is compulsory for every child in Hong Kong over the age of 5. To meet the different needs of students, Hong Kong has various types of schools. The government provides 12 years of free primary and secondary education to all students in public schools, which form the majority of the local school system. These consist of government schools operated directly by the government and aided schools (generally run by religious or charitable organizations) which are fully subsidized by the government but managed by their own incorporated management committee or school management committee.

In addition, there are Direct Subsidy Scheme schools (which can charge school fees, receive government subsidies based on enrollment and enjoy greater flexibility in various areas) as well as self-financed private schools, which provide alternatives to parents.

Hong Kong’s 51 international schools provided around 41,000 slots as of September 2015, catering to the demand of overseas families living in Hong Kong and families coming to Hong Kong for work or investment. Generally operated on a self-financing basis, these schools offer different non-local curricula and others such as the International Baccalaureate program.

Both publicly funded and self-financing post-secondary programs are provided at different levels, including sub-degree, undergraduate and above.

The publicly funded programs are provided by the eight University Grants Committee-funded institutions, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Vocational Training Council (VTC). Diverse self-financing post-secondary programs of quality are provided by post-secondary institutions (including publicly funded institutions and their self-financing arms) with a choice of study pathways and multiple entry and exit points.