All public schools in Hong Kong will be given a one-off sum of HK$400,000 (US$51,495) this month to boost students’ English and Mandarin skills through self-learning in the current and coming two school years, according to the Education Bureau.
Education authorities said schools could make use of the funds to procure language learning resources, hire instructors and support staff or purchase services before the end of the 2026-27 academic year, with the amount to be split evenly between English and Mandarin.
“Language acquisition should not be confined to the classroom, and students also learn through various means,” the Education Bureau said last week. “Therefore, it is important to nurture students’ self-directed learning so that they can proactively take charge of their own learning.”
Eligible schools, including public primary and secondary schools and institutions joining the direct subsidy scheme, do not need to apply for the funds, which were to distributed this month.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his policy address in October that the government had allocated HK$470 million to improve the teaching of English, Mandarin and other languages.
The bureau said schools could procure or subscribe to resources for promoting self-directed language learning. They could also hire language instructors or non-teaching support staff to help students, it said.
