Chinese International School extends scholarships to outsiders

Up to four students whose parents can't afford the tuition fees of an international school will get a chance to study at Chinese International School (CIS) starting from next year, thanks to the school's first scholarship programme.

Full or partial tuition will be granted for study between Year 10 and graduation, CIS headmaster Ted Faunce says. "We've always had a limited aid programme, mainly to assist students currently enrolled who are facing financial hardship," he says. "This is the first time we are launching a scholarship programme for external applicants.

"We will consider all people, but it's essentially for the local community. We will do a financial needs analysis internally. But we don't want to state in absolute terms [criteria for family income]."

CIS also plans to make provisions to cover additional expenses such books and required trips.

With an annual tuition set at HK$171,000 for Year 10 and 11 students and HK$173,400 for Year 12 and 13 this academic year, study at CIS, like other international schools, is restricted to a small percentage of more affluent families.

However, its new scholarship scheme has dovetailed with an annual progress report by the CIS human rights group, which called for greater socio-econonic diversity in the student body.