Parents and teachers say the national security law, including the intensification of ‘patriotic education’, have prompted them to leave the city they love

According to official figures in China, more than 64,000 students – from kindergartens to secondary schools – withdrew from the local education system in the past two years. In the last academic year (2021-2022), more than 33,600 students, or 4% of the total student population, left school – a 10% increase from the year before. Local media reported that at least five schools face closure in coming years after they failed to reach the minimum 16 enrolments in the first grade.