Hong Kong's Universities Shine in QS World Rankings, Confirming Education Hub Status and Government Support.

Excellent performance of Hong Kong's higher education system showcases effectiveness of government measures

An Education Bureau spokesmantoday (June 19) said that with the Government's dedication to promoting education hub development and the support of a series of policy measures, Hong Kong's higher education system has demonstrated extraordinary performance. According to the World University Rankings 2026 published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), an international higher education organisation, University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities have continued to hold top spots, with five of them staying in the world's top 100, making Hong Kong the place with the highest concentration of top-ranked universities globally (56 per cent). The encouraging achievements not only recognise the unremitting efforts and continuous pursuit of excellence of higher education institutions but also bear testimony to the Government's long-term commitment to investing in education and enhancing the competitiveness of higher education institutions.

According to the latest QS World University Rankings, the University of Hong Kong rose six places to 11th in the world, the Chinese University of Hong Kong climbed four spots to 32nd, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology advanced three positions to 44th. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong (CityU) also achieved outstanding results, ranking 54th and 63rd respectively.

Hong Kong has achieved remarkable performance in multiple key indicators. Hong Kong's institutions have performed far better than the international average in the International Faculty Ratio and International Student Ratio. The International Faculty Ratio of six universities ranks among the top 50 in the world. In addition, Hong Kong's institutions have performed exceptionally well in Citations per Faculty, with CityU ranking second worldwide.

In fact, Hong Kong's education system has yielded excellent results in various international rankings, fully reflecting the attractiveness of Hong Kong as an international talent hub. In the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2025 recently published by the International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong ranked second globally in Education. In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025 published yesterday (June 18), which measures global universities' success in delivering theUnited Nations'17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a number of Hong Kong universities also performed outstandingly in different fields. Among them, Lingnan University ranked top globally for SDG 4: Quality Education for the first time, showcasing exemplary performance.

The spokesperson said, "These achievements fully affirm the effectiveness of the Government's unwavering support through the UGC for the institutions' continuous innovation and optimisation, giving full play to the strengths of Hong Kong's first-class universities, and a series of policies for attracting top global talent to tie in with the institutions' capacity expansion and quality enhancement. For overseas talent interested in studying or conducting research in Hong Kong's higher education institutions, we will do our utmost to provide assistance and convenience, including striving to further expand the non-local student quota based on actual needs. The Government will also continue to promote internationalisation and diversified development of the eight UGC-funded universities. These measures will not only strengthen Hong Kong's momentum of development but also make active contributions to national development."

He stressed that the Government attracts quality talent from around the world and nurtures local talent through various measures such as scholarship programmes to leverage Hong Kong's strengths to serve the country's needs. Starting from the 2024/25 academic year (AY), the non-local student quota for UGC-funded institutions has been doubled from 20 per cent to 40 per cent, raising non-local undergraduate enrolment from 19.9 per cent (2023/24 AY) to 23.2 per cent. The Government will further foster collaboration among the eight UGC-funded universities, including supporting the jointly established Heads of Universities Committee's Standing Committee on Internationalisation to continue to promote the "Study in Hong Kong" brand worldwide.

The spokesman added that the Government will continue to promote the strengthening of global exchanges and connections of research personnel and teams of local universities and support them to broaden research networks and co-operation areas with their overseas counterparts.

The Government attaches great importance to the quality of teaching and learning at universities and invests substantial resources to step up support for the high-quality development of Hong Kong education. For the 2025–2028 triennium, approximately 78 per cent of the Block Grant will be allocated to support teaching and learning. Compared with the 2022-2025 triennium, the Teaching Development and Language Enhancement Grant provided by the UGC will increase by $100 million to approximately $920 million. The key themes of the Grant - including the integration of generative artificial intelligence and innovative technologies in education, the sharing of exemplary practices in teaching and learning, and the enhancement of students' well-being and personal development - are aligned with current trends in education and societal needs. The most recent round of quality audits conducted by the Quality Assurance Council under the UGC also reaffirms the high quality of educational experiences offered by UGC-funded universities.

To dovetail with the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Government will leverage the vast opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, supporting cutting-edge research conducted by the eight UGC-funded universities through the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the UGC. Over 20 research funds and scholarship programmes operate under the RGC, with more than 1 500 new projects receiving funding annually. These measures will help foster a robust research environment and further consolidate Hong Kong's position as an international post-secondary education hub.

Employers, contractors and employees should be aware of electrical safety at work during rainstorms

As the rainstorm warning has been issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Labour Department (LD) reminds employers and contractors that they should adopt necessary work arrangements and take suitable safety measures to protect the safety of their employees when they are carrying out electrical work or handling electrical plant.

The Labour Department (LD), Photo source: reference image

A spokesman for the LD said today (April 4) that employers and contractors should avoid assigning employees to carry out electrical work (such as electric arc welding work) or handle electrical plant at places affected by rainstorms, and should refer to the "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'" and the "Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather" issued by the LD.

Even if electrical work is carried out or electrical plant is handled at places not affected by a rainstorm, suitable safety measures must still be adopted to prevent an electric shock as the air would be more humid. Such measures include:

(i) Ensure that all live parts of an electrical installation are isolated from the power supply source and rendered dead, and the isolation from the power supply source must be maintained as long as electrical work is being carried out;

(ii) Before carrying out any electrical work or handling any electrical plant, cut off and lock out the power supply source, then test the circuit concerned to confirm that it is dead and display suitable warning notices, and issue a work permit thereafter;

(iii) Ensure that protective devices (such as suitable and adequate fuses and circuit breakers) for the electrical installations or electrical plant have been installed and maintained in good working order, and portable electric tools must be double-insulated or properly earthed;

(iv) Provide suitable personal protective equipment such as insulating gloves and insulating mats for employees; and

(v) If live electrical work is unavoidable, a comprehensive risk assessment should be conducted by a competent person and the appropriate safety precautions should be taken to remove or properly control the electrical hazards involved before such work can proceed.

In addition, employees should co-operate with the employer or contractor to follow the safety instructions and use the safety equipment provided.

The LD has published guidebooks and leaflets on electrical work safety. These safety publications are available free from divisional offices of the department or can be downloaded from its website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8.htm).

Should there be any questions about occupational safety and health matters, please contact the Occupational Safety Officer of the LD at 2559 2297.

Photo source: reference image