The Education Bureau today announced that Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network has been selected as the most suitable applicant for the establishment of a non-profit-making private school offering Mainland curriculum on a greenfield site in Tin Shui Wai.

It explained that with the vibrant development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong's commitment to promoting the interflow of talent with the Mainland and creating a strong impetus for growth, it is expected that the demand from Mainland families in Hong Kong for Mainland curriculum school places will rise.

The establishment of a school offering Mainland curriculum will address such a demand in a timely manner, the bureau emphasised.

Subject to the progress of construction works, the school is expected to start operation in the 2026-27 school year at the earliest and will offer about 900 Mainland curriculum primary and secondary school places in phases.

Moreover, the organisation will work towards offering 12 years of primary and secondary Mainland curriculum education and the majority of the students enrolled shall be non-local students.

In addition to allocating the site through an open and competitive bidding mechanism under the School Allocation Committee, the bureau pointed out that it received eight applications in total after organisations were invited to express interest in July 2021.

The committee which comprises both non-official members and government officials had assessed the applications by taking into account a host of factors, including the experience and expertise of the operator in running the Mainland curriculum, whether it has a good organisation structure, proper governance and sound financial footing, as well as the quality of its school proposal.

The bureau noted that there are at present over 50 international schools offering different non-local curricula, enabling children whose parents come to Hong Kong for work or investment to study in Hong Kong and then continue their studies in local schools upon return to their hometowns.

It added that such schools play an instrumental role in attracting and retaining talent and investment.