1 in 12 secondary students socially disengaged on campus, survey finds

Findings imply 28,000 young students are quietly slipping through the cracks, prompting calls for early intervention before they drop out

One in 12 Hong Kong secondary school students is socially disengaged on campus, according to a survey by a social welfare organisation, which is calling for early identification and better support for these “invisible students” before they drop out.

The Hong Kong Christian Service (HKCS) surveyed 1,958 Form One to Form Five students aged between 11 and 19 in February and March to identify those with “dropout tendencies” at an early stage.

The study found that 8.4 per cent of respondents, or 165 students, were at risk of “in-school hidden disengagement” – a psychological state where a student is physically present in the classroom but has checked out emotionally, socially and academically.

The HKCS is a non-governmental organisation that provides services at schools across the city.

As part of its survey, students answered questions about how they thought their teachers viewed their academic performance and whether they enjoyed school life, had good same-sex friends or had not been bullied over the past two months.

If they answered negatively for two to four of these indicators, they were classified as socially disengaged.