13 h. ago 2 Hong Kong pupils take top prizes in first global youth storytelling competition

Two Hong Kong students secured championship titles on Saturday in the first storytelling competition for global youth, delivering impassioned speeches on education and AI before an audience of about 100 people. Vanessa Jane Wong, a Form Four pupil from the Independent Schools Foundation Academy, won the top award in the senior category, while Wan Ruixi, a Form Two student from Hong Kong University Graduate Association College, took the junior prize. Organised by the South China Morning Post and...

Politics

4 d. ago Chinese student numbers at Harvard rise despite Trump visa crackdown

Enrolment at Harvard for Chinese students rose in the autumn from a year earlier, even as the Donald Trump administration moved to rein in visas for them and limit foreign enrolment and funding at the prestigious university. The number of students from mainland China rose from 1,390 in autumn 2024 to 1,452 in autumn 2025 – an increase of 4.5 per cent – according to Harvard data released on Friday. Hong Kong student enrolment rose from 68 to 73, while enrolment from Macau, which is in the single...

Politics

4 d. ago Nearly 1 in 4 Hong Kong students can’t finish homework without AI, study shows

A leading Hong Kong think tank has called for a centralised platform for AI in schools, revealing that while 95 per cent of students use the technology, nearly one in four struggle to finish homework without it, putting their problem-solving and analytical thinking skills at risk. Our Hong Kong Foundation on Tuesday also said a more comprehensive AI curriculum should be formulated to cover students at all academic levels. The think tank surveyed 1,200 primary and secondary teachers and students...

Society

5 d. ago Operation Santa Claus: the charity changing lives through swimming in Hong Kong

When Libby Alexander and Simon Holliday noticed that many domestic helpers and Hong Kong residents at local beaches could not swim, they decided to take action. They soon learned that despite Hong Kong being surrounded by water and having an abundance of pools, many residents did not have the opportunity to learn to swim. Swimming lessons are not mandatory, many schools lack pools and private classes are expensive. A 2014 survey by Baptist University found that 46.7 per cent of Hong Kong...

Politics

7 d. ago More than a game: rugby helps Hong Kong charity tackle cultural divides in schools

Passing, tackling and scrums – all part of the sport of rugby. But in some Hong Kong schools, they take on a deeper meaning – helping to bridge divides between students of different backgrounds. Since 2013, the charity Rugby For Good has been introducing the game to school campuses, using sport as a tool to bring together young people from diverse ethnicities and communities. This year, the NGO is one of 13 charities selected by the annual fundraising campaign Operation Santa Claus (OSC) to...

Sport

8 d. ago Hong Kong students lauded for using AI to help elderly fulfil travel dreams

A group of Hong Kong students has created an award-winning initiative that uses artificial intelligence to help elderly couples fulfil their travel dreams, with the city leader’s wife highlighting the technology’s role in volunteer services. Janet Lee Lam Lai-sim, the spouse of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, lauded the achievement at the Hong Kong Volunteer Award’s presentation ceremony on Friday, saying innovation and technology would drive progress in volunteer development. “I hope everyone...

Politics

9 d. ago 5 student unions at Chinese University of Hong Kong disband within a year

Five student unions among nine colleges at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have been dissolved in the space of a year, with their leaders attributing the closures to the institution’s requirement that they register as legal societies with police. The student union of Lee Woo Sing College on Wednesday became the latest group at CUHK to announce that it would cease operations. In a social media post, the union said its committee “originally planned to head to the police headquarters to...

Culture

1 week ago Operation Santa Claus: charity helps Hong Kong children climb, jump and explore nature

Hong Kong children whose schools and parents prioritise academic success over outdoor activities have few chances to experience nature, a charity has said. Gaia Education Limited said the severity of the “nature deficit in children” in the city was reflected in a study that found many primary and secondary students spent only 4.43 hours learning in natural areas each school year. The 2023-24 study by the Outdoor Wildlife Learning Hong Kong charity found that nearly 30 per cent of schools did not...

Politics

2 w. ago Operation Santa Claus: victory for rising Hong Kong tennis as players ace charity efforts

Up-and-coming Hong Kong tennis player Yandy Shek Cheuk-ying clinched her first title as a professional in her home city’s annual tournament as she and other top competitors helped raise money for charity. Shek was one of more than 1,700 entrants in the 77th edition of the CRC Open, which ended last month after five weeks of competition at the Chinese Recreation Club, Hong Kong (CRCHK) in Tai Hang, near Causeway Bay. Players once again helped raise money for the community by hitting aces during...

Politics

2 w. ago Operation Santa Claus: elderly Hongkongers find new purpose on rooftop farms

On a sunny weekday, Hongkonger Lai Yee-man, 70, pulled weeds from a plot of leafy vegetables, shielding her face from the sun with a large white hat. But Lai was not on a typical farm; she was on the rooftop of a shopping centre in the middle of an urban neighbourhood in the city. “When Hong Kong people come here, they are surprised to see the vegetables. They say ‘Oh wow, that’s how eggplants are grown!’ Some kids have never seen these things being grown,” said Lai, pointing to bell peppers,...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong students, bankers have a ball for charity with Operation Santa Claus

An annual basketball fundraising tournament brought together Dah Sing Bank employees and Hong Kong students to promote teamwork and positive values both on and off the court. Held at the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong’s Kowloon Centre on December 13, the Dah Sing Charity Score Challenge set out to raise funds for Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual charity drive co-organised by the Post and public broadcaster RTHK since 1988. This year’s event saw more than 100 bank staff, along with their...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong charity to get funding to expand services for people with disabilities

A Hong Kong charity providing free lifelong care for people with severe disabilities will move to a new home next year and offer an even wider array of support, thanks to money from the Operation Santa Claus (OSC) annual fundraising drive. The Home of Loving Faithfulness (HOLF) said it would offer speech, physical, occupational, art, music and play-based therapies to improve the lives of its 17 residents. The home’s residents range from aged seven to 74 and have mild to severe intellectual and...

Politics

2 w. ago Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong table tennis lovers serve it up for charity

Cheers and joy filled the air at a fundraising table tennis tournament in Hong Kong, as more than 250 adults and students picked up their paddles to play with heart for a good cause. Now in its second year, the tournament, organised by the Hong Kong Table Tennis Forum (HKTTF), was held at Luen Wo Hui Sports Centre in Fanling on December 7. The enrolment fees, including 20 per cent of proceeds from singles and doubles and 50 per cent from corporate teams, have been donated to Operation Santa...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong hospital staff rally for Operation Santa Claus with active spirit

Doctors, nurses and students at HKSH Medical Group in Hong Kong set aside their clinical routines to join a day of physical activity and fundraising, inspiring all to “throw kindness and catch health”. The staff-led activity on December 19 formed part of HKSH OSC Month, a month-long fundraising campaign contributing to Operation Santa Claus (OSC) – a cause the group has supported for the 17th consecutive year. Awards were given to individual employees and teams across departments in recognition...

Politics

3 w. ago Let’s get physical: Hong Kong hospital staff rally for Operation Santa Claus

Doctors, nurses and students at HKSH Medical Group in Hong Kong swapped their clinical routines for a day of fitness and fundraising, inspiring all to “throw kindness and catch health”. The staff-led activity on December 19 formed part of HKSH OSC Month, a month-long fundraising campaign contributing to Operation Santa Claus (OSC) – a cause the group has supported for the 17th consecutive year. Awards were given to employees and teams across departments in recognition of taking part, teamwork...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong’s Operation Santa Claus strengthened by Morgan Stanley’s enduring support

Morgan Stanley’s fundraising drive for Operation Santa Claus (OSC) has kept the firm on course to remain the campaign’s top corporate supporter for the ninth consecutive year, extending a partnership of nearly three decades that has engaged employees across divisions, seniority levels and borders. According to Gokul Laroia, CEO of Asia at Morgan Stanley, the global financial services firm’s enduring support for OSC reflected its long-term commitment to giving back to the community, as...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong should offer an international DSE to boost education hub goal

Interest in Hong Kong’s Diploma of Secondary Education has increased steadily in recent years. The government is committed to strengthening the city’s role as an international education hub, not just in tertiary education but also in basic education. Following this directive, the Education Bureau recently invited all Direct Subsidy Scheme schools to apply to increase their intake of non-local students. Hong Kong’s education sector offers biliteracy and trilingualism, and provides a broader range...

Politics

3 w. ago Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong shopping centre brings cheer with ‘Ticket to Christmas’

A shopping centre’s imaginary world, featuring a festive train station inhabited by colourful animal characters, is adding holiday cheer for shoppers while supporting Hong Kong’s annual fundraising campaign, Operation Santa Claus (OSC). “Ticket to Christmas” is the theme of this year’s celebrations at Admiralty’s Pacific Place and the nearby Starstreet Precinct – a Wan Chai area comprising shops, bars, cafes and restaurants connected to the centre by the Three Pacific Place underground link. The...

Economics

3 w. ago University of Hong Kong denies students a venue for mourning after Tai Po fire

Hong Kong’s oldest university refused to provide a venue for students to mourn the victims of the Tai Po fire earlier this month, citing concerns of “social instability” and “force majeure”, according to its campus publication. In a reply to inquiries by the Post, a University of Hong Kong (HKU) spokesman said on Monday the institution had maintained communication with student representatives over venue applications from student organisations, which were assessed in accordance with established...

Events

3 w. ago University of Hong Kong cites ‘instability’ as it denies mourning venue after fire

Hong Kong’s oldest university refused to provide a venue for students to mourn the victims of the Tai Po fire, citing concerns of “social instability” and “force majeure”, according to its campus publication. In a reply to the Post, a University of Hong Kong (HKU) spokesman said on Monday the institution had maintained communication with representatives from student organisations over venue applications, which were assessed in accordance with established guidelines. But he did not address the...

Events