ESF board votes to end HK$283m schools subsidy
Last-ditch pleas fail to stop decision to accept government deal, which exempts current pupils
The English Schools Foundation agreed at a board meeting yesterday to accept a deal with the government which will see it lose its HK$283 million annual subsidy.
The board made the decision after reviewing e-mail messages from 22 parents and holding two parent-consultation meetings to which a total of 34 people turned up - most of whom wanted to keep the subsidy.
According to the ESF, it believed the deal on the table was the best settlement it could achieve as it ensured the subsidy would remain in place for all children currently in the system.
ESF chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing said: "We believe that resolving the uncertainty about the subvention is in the best interests of ESF and our children's education, and it is in that spirit that we have made this decision."
The subsidy is to be phased out over 13 years, starting from 2016. The annual funding for the Jockey Club Sarah Roe School and learning support centres for children with special needs will be frozen at HK$28.3 million.
In July, the Education Bureau will report to the Legislative Council's education panel after reviewing the ESF decision.