Plus, StoryJam 2026 is officially open!
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the September edition of the SCMP Learn Parents Newsletter!
We started this month on an extraordinary high with our inaugural Global Education Summit. To everyone who joined us: thank you. Seeing so many passionate parents, educators and visionaries gathered under one roof was a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when we come together for the next generation.
If you missed out, don't worry — we’re bringing the highlights to you below. Catch up on the best moments with our official event video and essential takeaways from the day. And make sure to keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook channels over the coming weeks as we roll out exclusive interviews with our keynote speakers.
Beyond the Summit, this September issue brings you the latest breaking news in parenting and education, including a family-focused summary of the Policy Address. Plus, discover a curated list of enriching autumn activities, as well as registration details for our flagship storytelling competition, StoryJam, which is now officially open for entries!
Two Immersive Days. One Clear Roadmap.
The inaugural Global Education Summit, co-organised by SCMP Learn and HSBC Premier, brought together close to 11,000 families alongside a powerhouse lineup of leading educators, policymakers and industry figures. Designed to navigate the future of learning and global talent development, the event offered critical insights into the trends shaping education and careers for the next generation.
Watch our event highlights video HERE for a glimpse into the Summit's standout moments, and dive into the key insights from our full event coverage, including:
- Hong Kong’s vision for education and talent development: Takeaways from the Secretary for Education's keynote address outlining strategic policies for academic innovation, STEAM enrolment and talent retention. Read More
- What elite universities look for beyond standardised test scores: Show real stories and intellectual drive, not just top grades or costly consultants, admissions chiefs say. Read More
- How can future doctors blend clinical rigour with AI fluency and empathy? Discover how medical education is evolving to prepare future healthcare professionals for an AI-integrated landscape. Read More
Key Highlights from the 2026 Policy Address
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has unveiled the city’s first five-year plan at the legislature, followed by his annual policy address. Headline initiatives include measures to boost birth rates and accelerate school mergers. Here is what every parent needs to know.
Education
- The Education Bureau (EDB) will roll out a free digital‑education learning resource platform equipped with AI Large Language Models, while progressively extending the “AI Teaching Assistant” to more subjects to provide teaching support. The senior secondary maths and science curricula will also be revised. Meanwhile, kindergartens will receive funding to digitise operations and promote technological ethics and digital literacy to parents.
- The “Confluence and Elevation — School Excellence Project” will encourage and support mergers of suitable publicly‑funded primary and secondary schools, consolidating resources and raising the quality of education.
Learn about the government’s plan to offer ‘attractive’ merger deals — even to schools with healthy enrolment — to tackle long-term student demographic declines. Read More
- Students will benefit from broader language and financial life skills. New initiatives include a one-stop, self-directed Chinese language learning portal, territory-wide English-speaking activities and foreign language opportunities for junior secondary students. The EDB will also collaborate with companies and universities to enhance financial literacy amongst young people.
- Expanded international exposure and high-tech training will help broaden horizons for young people. Highlights include a new UN internship programme, funding to support student exchanges outside of Hong Kong and increased opportunities for training and internships in fields like aerospace, finance and scientific research.
- The government will launch a two-year scheme in partnership with the business sector, offering 30,000 full-time jobs, internships and on-the-job training positions. The programme specifically targets young jobseekers with limited or no work experience to assist their entry into the job market.
- The “Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) Expansion” will continue in order to encourage more DSS schools to admit non-local students.
- There will be more support for students with special educational needs, including an “Enhanced Support for Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder” Project aimed at helping students with ADHD improve their social and behavioural skills, as well as their overall learning performance.
Family Life
- The HK$20,000 newborn baby bonus will be extended for another three years. For those giving birth to a second or subsequent child, the bonus will be increased to HK$30,000.
- The tax allowance for a second or subsequent child will be increased from HK$140,000 to HK$160,000.
- Hong Kong permanent residents who have purchased a residential property from one year before to two years after childbirth are entitled to a stamp duty waiver capped at HK$20,000.
- Starting from the next Home Ownership Scheme sale exercise, the maximum mortgage loan‑to‑value ratio for White Form (defined as families renting private housing) family applicants with newborns will be raised to 95% to ease their down‑payment burden.
How are experts and parents responding to the new measures? Read More
- The Hospital Authority will expand capacity for assisted reproductive services in phases over the next three years, increasing the service quota for IVF to 1,900 treatment cycles per year.
- To ease childcare pressures, the government will set up three more childcare service centres, which are expected to provide an additional 1,800 childcare places by the end of 2030. It will also regularise the “School-based After School Care Service Scheme” starting from the 2027-28 academic year and remove the quota cap.
- A “Mental Health Literacy Resource Package for Parents” will be created, along with parent education programmes, in order to help parents gain practical skills to support their children's mental well-being.
Unpack the Policy Address in full with SCMP’s expert analysis.
Read more
More Top Stories
Hong Kong secondary school students have fallen in global rankings across maths, science and literacy in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Most notably, the city’s science score dropped out of the global top 10 for the first time in the study’s history.
Which countries took the top spots, and why did Hong Kong's scores fall?
Read more
Hong Kong public schools have slashed a record 126 Primary One classes for the 2026-27 academic year amid a shrinking student population, prompting a sector leader to warn that the “worst is yet to come”. The contraction hit Kwai Tsing the hardest, where nearly half the district’s 31 primary schools – 14 campuses – were forced to trim their Primary One intake.
Take a closer look at the figures below.
Read more
Some elite schools in Hong Kong have been criticised for failing to provide sufficient learning opportunities or challenging tasks to stretch top performers according to remarks found in the EDB's recent External School Review reports. Evaluating 68 secondary and primary institutions, reviewers urged teachers to design questions and tasks with greater depth in order to better engage high-ability students.
Which schools were told to do more to maximise the potential of high achievers?
Read more
Diocesan Boys’ School is set to become the first secondary school in Hong Kong to offer three distinct university entry pathways. While it already offers the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) and the International Baccalaureate (IB), the institution plans to roll out the International Advanced Level (IAL) curriculum in 2027, subject to approval by the EDB.
Head to the full article for reactions from parents and education experts.
Read more
An almost year-long legal dispute involving Hong Kong International School and its US-based co-founder, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, has been resolved out of court. The resolution involves a substantial payout to officially terminate the church's governance role, with the prestigious school assuring parents that the agreement will not result in fee hikes.
See the full report below.
Read more
SCMP Learn’s flagship storytelling competition returns, with The University of Hong Kong (HKU) joining as founding partner. Open to students from Primary 1 through Secondary 6 across Hong Kong and Asia, this global youth competition invites young people to unleash their creativity and explore big ideas, all while building real-world confidence and communication skills.
How Can Your Child Get Involved?
With three distinct challenges to choose from, your child can pick the format that best suits their strengths and interests.
🎤 Storytelling Contest (Secondary School Students): Choose a topic under one of our master themes, then bring your perspective to life with a written submission and a three-minute video pitch. Finalists will get to compete in the Grand Finale Showcase in front of a live audience and judging panel.
🖊️ Writing Challenge (Secondary School Students): Respond to a fixed essay prompt and express big ideas through the written word.
📹 Primary School Challenge (Primary School Students): Tailored for younger storytellers — create a three-minute video inspired by a self-selected topic under one of the master themes.
Check out our brand video and website for more details!
Hurry – submissions close on Friday, October 23 at 11:59pm HKT!
Finding the right school for your child is a major milestone — and we’re here to help streamline the search with the return of the International Schools Festival – Hong Kong Island. Taking place this weekend, the one-day event brings over 45 leading international schools together under one roof so parents can connect directly with admissions teams and representatives. Beyond school booths, the event will also feature expert panel sessions on comparing global curricula, navigating university admissions in the AI era, mastering application strategies and more!
When: Saturday, September 19
Where: Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott
AI meets creativity and human empathy in Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow competition, returning this year with the theme ‘See the Need. Prompt the Future’. AI may find answers faster, but meaningful innovation starts by noticing what people need. Working in small teams, participants must identify everyday challenges in their schools or communities and leverage STEM knowledge and AI tools to design real-world solutions. Shortlisted teams will have the opportunity to build a physical prototype of their idea before pitching their final projects to an expert judging panel.
Teams must represent the same school and have an assigned supervising teacher. Applications close on Friday, October 16.
Learn more
Calling all budding artists! Submissions are now open for The Hong Kong International Youth Art Award, a prestigious platform celebrating imagination and technical skill. Designed to nurture creative expression, the competition grants top-performing participants the rare opportunity to have their original works featured in international touring exhibitions across Hong Kong and Milan. Whether your child is exploring art as a passion or pursuing it as a future discipline, it’s a great chance to build real-world creative confidence and gain global exposure
Submissions close on Wednesday, 30 September.
Learn more
That’s it for now! Stay curious, stay informed and we’ll see you next month with more hand-picked stories, opportunities and insights for you and your child.
In the meantime, make sure you're following us on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content.
Warm regards,
SCMP Learn Team
