86% of Hong Kong children get preferred school places as applications plunge 16%

Around 86 per cent of children seeking places in Hong Kong’s public primary schools have secured one of their top three choices through the central allocation system, a record high and up from about 79 per cent last year, as applicant numbers fell 16 per cent to 16,345, the steepest decline on record. But a representative from a primary school council said competition for discretionary places – commonly known as “door-knocking” – was unlikely to ease, as some parents whose children were...