Only in Hong Kong: elitism spreads to kindergartens
Subsidising pre-schools sounds like a fine idea but when the more prestigious ones can charge extra fees, the reality is that the well-to-do now have another avenue to give their children a leg up
The Leung Chun-ying government likes to advertise it is the first to introduce free kindergarten education. But that’s misleading. In effect, it has extended the directly subsidised school model from primary and secondary schools to kindergartens.
That’s a very different beast and its effects will not be the same as having genuinely free schools. They will have real implications for social equity and equal opportunity. Yet, by not calling the new subsidised system for what it is, we will not be having a proper debate.
Hong Kong used to have a simple model for free, compulsory primary and secondary schooling. But after the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 after more than a century of British colonial rule, and because of the failed government education reform and the backlash against it, there has been a rapid expansion of the number of subsidised schools. Previously, schools were free as they were mostly government or aided schools. Now, many schools, especially those that are famous or considered “elite”, have switched to subsidised status. After all, what’s not to like?
You get comparable government funding per student, but you can modify curriculums and charge new fees. You are also free to raise money from non-government sources.
There was once a relatively equalitarian school system. Now, middle and upper middle-class families like to send their children to subsidised “elite” schools, or those under the English Schools Foundation and the super-expensive international schools. While international schools do not receive direct cash subsidies, almost all have enjoyed free land grants and token land rents, and/or low-interest loans. These amount to public subsidies. All that leaves low-income families with is public schools.