Hong Kong schools on Tuesday welcomed a new semester amid a squally downpour brought by Typhoon Saudel, as the city’s education chief vowed to support schools amid a structural decline of eligible pupils.

Speaking after a visit to the Hong Kong Taoist Association Wun Tsuen School, Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said that decline in the school-age population is structural, not a short-term fluctuation, pledging that authorities will continue to help schools achieve a "soft landing" through gradual adjustments in student numbers and class sizes.

She learned about the first-day arrangements at the school and spoke at the opening ceremony before taking questions from reporters.

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Choi also revealed that a slew of events, part of a cross-territory campaign, will be held to mark the 30th anniversary of the city’s return to the motherland next year to encourage students to learn about the development of the city and the country.  

To address the declining primary school enrolment in recent years, Choi said the Education Bureau has been adopting a "soft landing" strategy with multiple measures, including allowing some schools to merge resources through consolidation to provide a better learning environment for students.

Earlier, the bureau also invited Direct Subsidy Scheme schools to apply for a class expansion, allowing them to admit more non-local students on student visas on a self-financing basis. Choi said the aim is to attract mainly overseas students.

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She revealed that the Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council has organized promotional trips to Southeast Asia, drawing strong interest. However, given the young age of students and the time required for parents to make arrangements, the bureau will complete a student headcount by the end of September to confirm the actual number of non-local students who have been enrolled.

To ensure smooth traffic on the first day of school, the Transport Department’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre activated its highest-level emergency coordination — the Joint Steering Mode —from 6:30 am, closely monitoring traffic and public transport across the city. About 100 staff were deployed to major public transport interchanges, stations, school areas, land boundary control points and tunnels across the city.

Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics Liu Chun-san said rail, bus and ferry services ran normally in the morning, while special routes serving the vicinities of schools had been resumed. He also mentioned that cross-boundary students arrived in an orderly manner. While traffic on trunk roads, tunnels, bridges and near schools was busier, it remained generally smooth.

As for the weather, the No. 1 typhoon signal was issued on Monday afternoon and will stay in force until at least 6 pm on Tuesday, meaning a tropical cyclone is centered within about 800 kilometers of Hong Kong and may affect the city. The Hong Kong Observatory said some areas will experience heavy rain, squalls and thunderstorms, and residents are urged to stay updated on weather alerts.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com