Parents at international school in Hong Kong protest over annual levy of HK$20,000

Hundreds of parents at an international school have signed an online petition protesting against its decision to slap on each student a non-refundable annual fee of HK$20,000 without first consulting them.

The dispute highlights again the government’s failure to regulate international schools despite granting them premises at low rents, said parents and critics.

The annual capital levy, introduced to help fund the expansion and a planned second campus of Nord Anglia International School in Lam Tin, whose parent company is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange, will be payable before the next school year in September, said principal Brian Cooklin in a letter to parents on January 12.

He also informed parents about a 2 per cent tuition fee increase for the next school year, putting the fees at HK$141,150 for primary section pupils and HK$157,450 for secondary pupils.

The school said it had been evaluating parents’ feedback and had invited all to a meeting on Wednesday to find a solution.

Civic Party’s lawmaker Kenneth Chan Ka-lok criticised the government for granting international schools sites at a nominal rent while failing to regulate the schools’ various charges.