The Shadow Education SIG recently hosted a seminar examining family investment in shadow education (SE) and its impact on school placement in Germany and Japan. The event was attended by members of the University of Hong Kong’s shadow education research team and researchers from around the world.

The seminar presented findings from a comparative analysis using national panel data from both countries. In Germany, the study found that SE is pursued largely independent of socio-economic status, with little effect on gaining admission to more prestigious schools. In contrast, Japanese families face high costs—both monetary and non-monetary—yet SE provides significant advantages for educational progress.

The seminar sparked discussions on how SE contributes to educational success and social inequality within different cultural and institutional settings, offering valuable insights for the global education community. We will have more seminars from our CGSED students’ capstone projects. Please stay tuned for our upcoming events.