The first school for students from Hong Kong and Macao in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, is expected to enroll its first group of students in September, aiming to provide a high-quality international education to children from the special administrative regions.

(Photo by Guangzhou Education Bureau)

"The school will try to create a diversified campus atmosphere and help its students achieve all-around growth," said Lucas Deng, executive director of the Affiliated School of Jinan University for Hong Kong and Macao Students.

The school will become an international school with Chinese characteristics that will represent the development trend of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the coming years, Deng said.

Covering about four hectares in the city's Tianhe district, the nonprofit international school will be able to accommodate more than 1,200 students in preschool, primary school, and junior and senior high, he said.

The school will enroll 300 students for its first semester, beginning in September.

In addition to students from Hong Kong and Macao, the school will enroll some students from Taiwan and foreign countries.

The school is being jointly founded by Guangzhou-based Jinan University, Hong Kong Victoria Harbour Education Group, Aoyuan Group and Eton House Dongguan.

It is the first school for students from Hong Kong and Macao under the direct guidance of a top Chinese mainland university.

Lin Rupeng, Party chief of Jinan University, said the university has the largest number of students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and the overseas Chinese community on the mainland.

"Jinan University is now giving full play to its characteristics as an 'overseas Chinese university' to speed up the pace of basic education development to run an international school with the background of the Bay Area and the characteristics of Hong Kong and Macao, representing the development direction of the Bay Area," he said.

Gu Zhongpeng, deputy director of Guangzhou's education bureau, said the establishment of the school is an important measure to promote the integration and innovation of basic education in the Bay Area.

"And it provides high-quality education support to help construct a quality life circle suitable for living, business and tourism in the Bay Area," he said.

Zheng Jianmin, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Office of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, said he expects the school will become a bench mark of cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong and Macao in basic education, a base of patriotism education for students from Hong Kong and Macao and a cradle of talent training in the Bay Area.

The Bay Area includes nine cities in Guangdong－Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing－plus Hong Kong and Macao.

Jessica Feng, executive principal of the Affiliated School of Jinan University for Hong Kong and Macao Students, and Ng Wang Kee, principal of Hong Kong Fukien Secondary School, signed an agreement to become sister schools on Sunday.

Ng said the two schools would achieve synchronization and resource sharing in curriculum, teaching and research, examinations and other aspects of education, establish in-depth cooperation in teacher training and student exchanges, and jointly commit to the exploration of basic education exchanges and integration between Guangdong and Hong Kong in the years ahead.

Guangzhou started to set up special classes for students from Hong Kong and Macao in 2019 and the city now has 25 such classes in nine schools. About 18,000 students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan now attend schools in the city.