PTAs are asked to help foot the bill, but some families object to the appeal
Parents have stepped up the battle to maintain current public funding to the English Schools Foundation by taking advertisements in the English and Chinese press this week.
A group of parents yesterday placed a quarter-page open letter in the South China Morning Post and two Chinese newspapers in the week before the Legislative Council's Public Accounts Committee resumes its inquiry into ESF funding and management. This followed the publication in November of the Audit Commission's highly critical report on the foundation.
The letter was initiated by a group of Chinese parents, according to Stephen Li Kwok-kei, who helped draft the appeal and who has two children at Island School. Parent-teacher associations of the 16 ESF schools have been approached to foot the bill.
The letter urged the government, the Education and Manpower Bureau and the Legislative Council not to cut the ESF's subvention because of criticisms of its management. The two issues should be separated. 'Please do not harm Hong Kong children's futures,' ended the letter, signed by 'parents of the ESF'.
'It is the first time we have grouped together,' said Mr Li. 'What we are afraid of is the negative image of the ESF may give the government an excuse to act in a way that is not for the best benefit of parents. We feel there were some mistakes by the ESF management but don't think the government should penalise parents by taking away the subvention.'
