While the rich have for many years sent their young to the most exclusive schools - most notably the Chinese International School and Hong Kong International School - this sector increasingly serves middle class families who make sacrifices to meet school fees of at least $47,000 a year, per child. Boarding schools in Britain, North America and Australia are also seeing an influx of Hong Kong children. Shopkeepers have joined civil servants and businessmen in footing even higher bills of at least $10,000 a month for the boarding school option.

Education consultant and former head of the Chinese International School, Alex Horsley, said this response demonstrated the lack of confidence in education provided by local schools.

The problem, he said, was the legacy of colonialism; that local education was still based on an outdated system that had been adopted in Britain as far back as 1944. While reform documents had all the right ideas, there were many obstacles to their implementation, not least the lack of modern facilities.

In addition, Hong Kong teachers, he said, worked on an 'instruct and mark' basis to prepare classes of as many as 40 students for exams. 'Getting students to collaborate, to think laterally and creatively doesn't figure in local schools, and it shows,' he said. 'Students are going to be much better prepared if they take a degree of responsibility in their own learning.'

What also drives parents to private education is the fear that their children will fail in local schools. As Professor Cheng Kai-ming, pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong and a key member of the Education Commission, said during a talk on the future of education held this week at the British Council, Hong Kong fails far too many students. This year, 14 per cent of Hong Kong Certificate of Education (HKCEE) exams failed to gain a single pass, not including those who dropped out before Secondary Four.

The many students who learn less easily are most likely to drop out of education at the earliest opportunity. By contrast, they have a greater chance of success, measured ultimately by university entry, if nurtured through schools with smaller class sizes, taught in a manner that addresses their needs and leaves their self-esteem intact. It is the international schools, and carefully chosen private schools abroad, that are most likely to provide such an environment.

But the Director of Education, Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said in response to this week's survey that reform was a slow process and instant results could not be expected. This, though, offers no solace to parents whose school-aged children's futures are at stake while the Government and schools spend years gradually getting the system right.

But Mr Cheung is correct to highlight misunderstandings of the nature of reforms that drive parents to seek alternatives.

In particular, many are worried that the introduction of fairer allocation methods, at primary and secondary level, will result in a broader mix of abilities in the top local schools, and lead to lower standards. In fact, if these schools continue to strive to improve the quality of teaching and learning there is no reason why standards should fall.

Mr Cheung also noted that in future, parents would have more options when the first Private Independent Schools opened. These schools would have greater flexibility and autonomy than public-sector ones. Seven private independent schools are to be set up by the 2004-05 school year.

Mr Horsley believes these schools will better meet the needs of those willing to pay for education, targeting local rather than international students.

In the meantime, international and boarding schools are meeting the demand. But with as many as 80 per cent of pupils now being local in many international schools, the label has become something of a misnoma. Many schools now focus on offering extensive English language support. But others do not, and parents may be misguided in expecting children not competent in English to thrive in them.

David Coles, primary education officer at the English Schools Foundation, said that ESF schools catered for students whose English was of a sufficient standard to study an English curriculum. 'All our subjects are taught through the medium of English. We don't offer language schools,' he said. Parents needed to ensure children spoke English at home, read widely, or attended camps to help develop their skills, he said. 'We want children to be happy, which they won't be if they are struggling.'

The risk for international schools is that if they admit too many children who need extensive language support, teaching for fluent English speakers will suffer. This has already happened in some schools, resulting in native speakers turning their backs on them.

Parents also need to consider carefully whether the overseas boarding school experience is appropriate for their child. While some thrive on their new independence from home, others may suffer, both academically and emotionally. Mr Horsley said there was no guarantee that buying education would guarantee university entry and protect children from teenage troubles parents fear back home.

Anthony Tong, assistant director of education, said that through education reforms, the local system would meet the expectations of society. 'The reforms are talking about creativity, lateral thinking, communication and getting children interested in learning,' he said.

There is no doubting the seriousness of the reforms and that they will gradually lead to styles of teaching and learning more akin to those of the best international schools.

But so far their greatest impact has been to alert parents to the inadequacies of the old system, making the results of the Chinese University survey no surprise.

Graphic: SCHOOLGAN