ESF schools hit parents with fee rises of up to 8.8pc
Foundation defends 'moderate' increases as it faces complaints that it refused to work with families to make bills more affordable
The English Schools Foundation announced fee increases of up to 8.8 per cent on Wednesday.
Some parents expressed frustration over the annual increase, saying the foundation refused to work with parents in making its schools more affordable.
"We continue to focus on providing our students with high-quality learning experiences," said ESF chief executive Belinda Greer. "It is necessary for us in line with rising market costs to make moderate increases in fees."
The foundation's primary schools will see a 6.2 per cent fee rise to HK$78,700 for the 2015-16 school year starting in September.
Fees for secondary schools will increase by 4.6 per cent to HK$110,600 for Years 7 to 11 and HK$116,200 for Years 12 and 13.
Discovery College, a "private independent school" in Discovery Bay run by the ESF's affiliated company ESF Educational Services, will see a fee rise of 6.6 per cent, with parents charged HK$101,700 for the primary section and up to HK$137,500 for secondary classes.
There will be a 6.2 per cent increase for another private independent school run by ESF Educational Services, Renaissance College in Ma On Shan. Parents of primary children will have to pay HK$98,900, while those with students in secondary classes will pay up to HK$133,900.
The five international kindergartens run by the foundation's affiliated company will also see fee increases. The cost of sending a child to Hillside and Wu Kai Sha kindergartens will rise 4.6 per cent. The increase for Abacus kindergarten is the steepest - at 8.8 per cent. The fees for the five kindergartens now range from HK$64,000 to HK$78,000 per year.
However, new students starting next year at the 14 primary and secondary schools run by the ESF are expected to be hit with a 23 per cent fee rise as the government starts to phase out an annual fee subsidy worth HK$283 million.
Hans Ladegaard, whose 15-year-old son is studying at an ESF school, said the foundation had refused to work with concerned parents to put pressure on the government to reverse its decision to phase out the subsidy.
"It's frustrating," said Ladegaard. "It was an uphill battle that I'd been fighting in the past but to absolutely no avail."
Funding for the ESF's Jockey Club Sarah Roe School, which caters for pupils aged five to 19 with special education needs, will be frozen at the current level of HK$28.3 million a year.
All the fee increases were approved at an ESF board meeting yesterday.
However, some parents have previously complained that they did not have a say in the matter because the foundation's governing rules stipulate that the six directly elected parent governors cannot vote on the issue due to a conflict of interest.
