Disillusioned by China’s crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, engineer Alan Chan emigrated to the U.K last month with his wife and 10-year-old son. Like many other parents, his decision to leave the former British colony was influenced by Beijing’s overhaul of the education system.

"The political changes during the past two years in Hong Kong are suffocating,” said Chan, 46, who has settled in London. "I’d like my kid to grow up in a more democratic environment with a more liberal schooling.”

Thousands of residents have left Hong Kong since China passed a national security law last year in response to pro-democracy protests that swept through the city in 2019. With youths at the forefront of the demonstrations, Beijing has blamed the education system for fostering unrest and ordered schools to adopt a more patriotic curriculum.