Deadlock over subsidy leaves E.S.F. in limbo
The English Schools Foundation cannot tell parents yet how much they will have to pay in the next academic year as talks with the Education Bureau on financial support have been deadlocked.
ESF parents usually would have been told by now what sort of fees they could be facing.
But ESF chief executive Heather Du Quesnay said yesterday the foundation would write to them shortly to inform them of a delay.
She said: 'The board can't make a decision in a vacuum.
'We are looking at the economic situation, what other schools are doing, and taking these factors into account before making a decision on the fees.'
The key issue remains whether the government will continue to pay its annual subsidy of HK$284 million to the foundation.
Amid public debates about the role of the ESF, widely seen as a legacy of the colonial era, the government decided last July to review the subvention arrangement.
A decision was expected months ago. But ESF chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing noted the lack of progress yesterday. 'We have tried very hard since last July to engage the Education Bureau to try to have a conclusion on the subvention, but unfortunately the Legislative Council panel hearing has been delayed.
'It does not look like subvention will be decided in the next few months.'
Earlier he cited a recent internal cost review that showed that if the subsidy was scrapped, tuition fees would have to rise by 27 per cent.
Fees for this academic year are HK$63,000 for primary children and HK$95,100 to HK$97,100 for secondary pupils.
The ESF has a waiting list of 4,800 for all years in its nine primary schools. For admission into Year One this September, it has received 2,200 applications for 1,000 places.
Tong added that he was open to discussions with the government on helping to tackle the issue of an inadequate number of international school places for expatriate families.
Currently, 70 per cent of the students at ESF schools have at least one parent who is a permanent resident.
The ESF has no fixed quota on the intake of expatriate or local students.
The main admission criteria are a child's English proficiency and the availability of places in an applicant's residential district.
'We are limited by the size of our operations,' Tong explained.
But ESF schools' popularity with local parents is likely to remain strong. Janice Chu, whose daughter is in Year 12 at Sha Tin College, said they provide an alternative to parents dissatisfied with other local schools.
She said: 'They provide a more systematic and liberal education, and also better prepare students to master English.
'Their students generally have more self-confidence.
'As a taxpayer, I think the government should continue its subvention to give parents like us an alternative.'
She said direct subsidy scheme schools - which receive government assistance but enjoy more flexibility in curriculum - were an alternative.
But she said she had not opted for these schools because 'it takes time for them to mature and gain parents' confidence'.
Du Quesnay added that the ESF is reviewing its admissions arrangements with a view to making them more transparent.
