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Nord Anglia International School in Lam Tin. Photo: Bruce Yan

Parents at international school in Hong Kong protest over annual levy of HK$20,000

Hundreds of parents at an international school have signed an online petition protesting against its decision to slap on each student a non-refundable annual fee of HK$20,000 without first consulting them.

The dispute highlights again the government’s failure to regulate international schools despite granting them premises at low rents, said parents and critics.

The annual capital levy, introduced to help fund the expansion and a planned second campus of Nord Anglia International School in Lam Tin, whose parent company is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange, will be payable before the next school year in September, said principal Brian Cooklin in a letter to parents on January 12.

He also informed parents about a 2 per cent tuition fee increase for the next school year, putting the fees at HK$141,150 for primary section pupils and HK$157,450 for secondary pupils.

The school said it had been evaluating parents’ feedback and had invited all to a meeting on Wednesday to find a solution.

Civic Party’s lawmaker Kenneth Chan Ka-lok criticised the government for granting international schools sites at a nominal rent while failing to regulate the schools’ various charges.

“The government has given international schools leeway to evade supervision,” said Chan, who has been pursuing international school issues.

International schools do not need to gain the Education Bureau’s approval in charging miscellaneous fees other than tuition fees. Chan said this was why many international schools had introduced charges in various names.

In Cooklin’s letter, he said those receiving scholarships or other forms of bursary support would be exempted from the levy.

“I appreciate this is not news you would want to receive but I think it is better to be open and transparent about the need to fund our expansion,” he added.

But the parents hit back, accusing the school of being the opposite of open and transparent. In a letter to Cooklin signed by 146 parents, they called the levy a “fundamental breach of the original terms and conditions” of their children signing up for a place.

“Strategic decisions such as these should first be made available to parents prior to sending their children to attend NAIS,” they said.

All parents are also required to pay a non-refundable “capital enrolment fee” of HK$80,000 when they confirm their acceptance of the school’s offer, unless they have purchased the school’s HK$500,000 partially-refundable debenture, which will give their children priority in admission.

As of yesterday, the parents’ online petition against the levy had collected 285 signatures. There are presently 528 pupils studying at the school, which means the community has around 1,000 parents.

In an email reply to the Post, a school spokeswoman said the school had received “a number of emails with feedback” and added that though many parents disagreed with the levy, they had also spoken about their support for the school.

An Education Bureau spokesman said it had received queries from parents on the levy and had reminded the school to explain clearly to the parents the justifications for the levy.

He added that international schools are self-financing and market-driven, and that it is common for operators to raise fund through various schemes such as debentures and levy.

 

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