Parents protest over Canadian International School’s fee rise
They say Canadian International School already has a healthy surplus
A group of parents have protested to the Education Bureau against a proposed tuition fee hike by the beleaguered Canadian International School, questioning why it needs more funds when it has a healthy surplus.
The bureau has said that it would assess whether the school's bid to raise fees for the coming academic year was justified.
The size of the increase has not been made public but the parents complained that the Wong Chuk Hang school had in recent years imposed annual fee hikes of up to 15 per cent while recording surpluses of up to HK$42 million last year.
Given such surpluses, the parents questioned the school's tax-exempt, non-profit status and urged the government, which granted land to the school, to look into the matter.
A school spokeswoman said tuition fees were crucial to maintaining its top-tier education standards and that any surplus would be used for future development.
The dispute is the latest in a simmering feud between the school and a parents' group that has been protesting against the school board's governance and urging the head of the school to step down after he fired two senior administrators who sided with the parents.