Struggling families urge return of student grant after textbook prices jump

Hong Kong families are calling for the reinstatement of student subsidies as textbook prices have surged to their highest levels since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Education Bureau's book list data, the average increase for 2026-27 academic year textbook prices is 3.6 per cent, the highest since the pandemic began in 2020. The rise in prices is attributed to the growing use of digital learning tools, which have reduced print runs and driven up costs for publishers.

The government's decision to eliminate a HK$2,500 universal student grant introduced in 2019 has further exacerbated the financial burden on families. Only means-tested help schemes are now available, providing full or half-rate support for textbooks, travel, and internet access based on family income and household size. Lily Chu, a full-time carer, has had to resort to buying second-hand textbooks, which can cost up to HK$3,000 per child, as the cancellation of the universal grant has pushed her family from full-rate to half-rate means-tested help.

Minnie Chu, a mother with a daughter in Form One, has seen her family's budget strained by the rising costs of textbooks. Although her household qualifies for the full-rate help, the high expense of books still poses a challenge. San Wong, a full-time mother, notes that education expenses, such as registration fees and extracurricular classes, have mounted due to the increasing price of textbooks.

She emphasizes that the universal student subsidy, although small, would provide a bit more financial relief for families in her situation.