
Revised guidance warns that repeating a grade may exacerbate social and emotional adjustment difficulties for SEN pupils.
Hong Kong's Education Bureau has updated its School Administration Guide to discourage schools from requiring students with special educational needs or severe mental illness to repeat a grade, citing potential risks to their social and emotional well-being.
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The Education Bureau updated its School Administration Guide in August to address the academic management of students with special educational needs.
Hong Kong schools should not require students with special educational needs or severe mental illness to repeat a grade, under revised education authorities’ guidance that warns the practice could worsen their adjustment difficulties.
The latest version of the Education Bureau’s School Administration Guide requires subsidised schools considering grade retention for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) to consult parents through a team of professionals, including an educational psychologist.
“Repeating a grade will only aggravate their social and emotional adjustment difficulties and increase mental health risks,” according to the guide, updated in August and brought to light on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s education system is facing a serious aging problem. Affected by the declining birthrate and pension reform, young teachers are hindered from joining the workforce and the retirement of senior teachers is delayed, resulting in a generational gap among teachers in primary and secondary schools and higher education. Public opinion is concerned that this phenomenon will weaken the inheritance of teaching experience and affect the quality of education.

The British Council announced IELTS examinations across China will resume Wednesday after a four-day cancellation due to technical issues, offering free make-up sessions and refunds.

IELTS exams and single-subject retests in many places in mainland China have been temporarily canceled due to technical reasons. The organizer, the British Council, announced follow-up arrangements and decided to refund the fees in full, resume exams from October 14, and add free sessions, issue exam vouchers, and reimburse the transportation and accommodation expenses of candidates from other places.

The IELTS test in many places in China was suddenly suspended due to "technical reasons". In some examination rooms, the test was even forcibly interrupted in the middle, and candidates were forced to leave the venue while answering. The suspension of exams was extended to the 12th and there was no unified make-up exam, causing a large number of candidates who urgently needed their scores to be reviewed and applied to study abroad to cry outside the venue. The organizer only refunded the registration fee and did not compensate for the heavy costs such as leave, transportation and accommodation, which caused public outcry and leaked questions. The lawyer pointed out that stopping midway constituted a serious breach of contract and should be held liable for compensation. Netizens on social media have speculated that there are leaks of test questions or political factors behind it.
A press conference from the Ministry of Education revealed that as of the end of 2025, there were 10,792 vocational schools nationwide with 33.5596 million students enrolled, and vocational education majors cover all fields of the national economy. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, vocational education funding increased by 23.3% to 757 billion yuan, forming a pattern of government investment as the mainstay and multi-channel financing.

The Ministry of Education originally planned to add 200 two-year-old classes in public kindergartens from 2024 to 2026. Currently, 600 classes have been added, three times the original target. From 2017 to this year, the government has subsidized the establishment of more than 4,100 public kindergarten classes, with nearly 270,000 public education and security places. This year, it will invest more than 500 million yuan to add classes and kindergartens. According to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Education, the enrollment rate of two-year-old children in kindergarten has increased from 14 to 14 in the 105 school year. 7%, increased to 64 in the 114 academic year. one%.