Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu reaffirmed his commitment to boosting education and culture on Wednesday, with a host of key initiatives welcomed by industry stakeholders.

Delivering his fourth Policy Address, Lee pledged to promote the special administrative region’s education sector and cement its reputation as a premier international education hub.

Lee said the city will increase the limit on nonlocal undergraduate enrollment to 50 percent, starting in the 2026-27 academic year, from the current 40 percent.

It will be the second such quota hike in two years, following the doubling of nonlocal undergraduate admissions since the last school year — from the equivalent of 20 percent of the local incoming students to 40 percent.

The increase has produced results. The 2024-25 academic year saw 17,161 nonlocal self-funded students enrolled in more than 200 University Grants Committee-funded bachelor’s degree programs, compared with about 14,800 a year before. The figure represented 23.2 percent of the funded local student spots at the same study level.

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Meanwhile, the overenrollment ceiling for self-financing research postgraduate places will increase 100 to 120 percent.

Introducing a more geographically diverse student body is another key priority, with efforts to intensify the “Study in Hong Kong” brand.

Lee said the Education Bureau will spearhead a new task force, “Study in Hong Kong”, teaming up with the UGC, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau and the Hong Kong Talent Engage, among others, to ramp up the higher education sector’s global profile.

The vision will be primarily grounded in the form of a large-scale “Hong Kong: Your World-class Campus” promotion campaign. The UGC will provide funding support of HK$40 million ($5.14 million) for the eight funded universities to enhance publicity, as well as teacher and student recruitment overseas and on the Chinese mainland.

As for anticipated student accommodation shortages, Lee said the scope of the Hostels in the City Scheme will be expanded to redevelopment projects to further increase the supply of student dormitories. The initiative, which began accepting applications in July, waives rezoning requirements for commercial buildings expected to be converted into student hostels, and allows developers to retain a high plot ratio.

Lee also said the government will earmark new sites for dedicated hostel development and invite market proposals this year.

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The Northern Metropolis’ University Town also topped Lee’s agenda, as the SAR government faces calls to fast-track the development of this new engine of Hong Kong’s economic development.

The authorities will study university town models worldwide and solicit input from local, mainland and international stakeholders to put forth industry-focused, site-specific development recommendations for the project.

The chief executive also announced a phased land release schedule for the university town — Hung Shui Kiu, in 2026; Ngau Tam Mei, in 2028; and New Territories North New Town, in 2030.

At the basic education level, the SAR government will allocate a HK$2-billion fund to support the integration of artificial intelligence into the core curricula of primary and secondary schools, and release the Blueprint for Digital Education in Primary and Secondary Schools next year.

The blueprint is expected to outline strategies to guide the alignment between primary and secondary curricula for information technology, the compilation of an AI literacy learning framework, the incorporation of AI education into the core curricula, and AI training for educators.

Lee also promised to reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a global cultural gateway and high-end art trading hub.

The city plans to develop an arts ecosystem under the Airport City project to host arts studios, galleries and dealers under one roof, supported by large-scale arts storage and related facilities. Studies on taxation, financing, talent, and related areas of arts trading will also be carried out in collaboration with the industry to explore policy directions.

Other major strategies touched upon developing the West Kowloon Cultural District into a diversified arts zone, promoting local cultural and creative industries, and giving full play to intangible cultural heritage.

The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers welcomed the lifting of nonlocal student quotas. indicating the move will help attract top global talent to study and conduct research in the city.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com