Alert over preschool fee rises at border after kindergarten loses lease

Kindergartens in the city's border districts are facing concerns that keen competition to set up shop catering to mainland pupils may drive up tuition fees after a Tin Shui Wai preschool was priced out of its campus by a rival chain.

Topkids International Preschool is to be ousted from its site in Kingswood Villas before September despite having offered to pay nearly double its current rent of about HK$260,000 a month.

It is not known how much the new tenant, Zenith International Education Foundation, has committed to paying its landlord Fortune Real Estate Trust, a subsidiary of tycoon Li Ka-shing's conglomerate Cheung Kong.

The headmistress at Topkids' Tin Shui Wai branch, Carol Chan Yuk-shan, said some kindergartens might see prospects of more pupils crossing the border for education.

"In the end, those who suffer are the parents - they'll have to dig deeper into their pockets for tuition," Chan said yesterday.

Her 20,000 square metre private independent kindergarten runs morning, afternoon and full-day sessions. About 500 pupils and some 50 employees, including teachers, will be evicted for Zenith to take over the site in September.

Zenith operates the only other preschool in the private housing estate. It charges tuition fees of HK$47,000 to HK$67,000 per year, compared with HK$38,000 to HK$57,000 at Topkids - which parents say seldom demands any extra miscellaneous fees.