ESF neglecting its obligations in favour of profit
I have no doubt many English Schools Foundation parents will write to these columns, angry at the ESF's endless schemes to take money from them. From my point of view, the ESF's effrontery is shocking, because for the last few years it has not been abiding by the terms of its subvention.
In accepting HK$280 million of public money (and an exemption from profits tax), the ESF has a strict obligation to provide an education for 'English-speaking children who cannot access the local system'.
Yet it offers priority for admission to its primary schools to students of its own kindergarten business, a very large proportion of whom can access the local system.
The ESF says it only offers priority for an interview, not admission, but in reality hardly any child ever fails the interview, so priority for admission is the end result.
Despite a manifest inability to attend a local school, my child was rejected because she did not go to an ESF kindergarten. In offering such priority to nurture its commercial interests, the ESF is abusing the public purse and denying school places to the children that the government determined should have them.
As a taxpayer for more than 20 years, I deplore the ESF's egregious admissions system and resent the manner in which it insists that all its processes are fair and inclusive. It is the complete opposite. The ESF's system is a closed shop, and before it receives another penny of public money, it must be forced to reform this system.