Hong Kong education authorities have been urged to retain a secondary school on the outlying island of Cheung Chau as the century-old institution faces the axe after failing to enrol sufficient Form One students.

Cheung Chau Government Secondary School, founded in 1908, was unable to admit two Form One classes in the new academic year, the minimum requirement for government and aided secondary schools, according to the latest information from the education authorities.

Islands district councillor Mealoha Kwok Wai-man, who is based in Cheung Chau, said on Tuesday that the government should save the school to safeguard the rights of underprivileged students.

“Cheung Chau is a remote area and we only have one school on the island. Though some students can afford to go outside the island to study at other secondary schools, the government should retain the school to let children from low-income families stay on the island to study,” she said.

Kwok, an alumna of the school, said it was a pity that her alma mater was now facing closure.

The Education Bureau revealed on Monday that the school could only secure one Form One class in the new academic year. A source close to the school told the Post it had enrolled fewer than 20 students in that class.