Parents angry as Hong Kong’s Harrow International School fees and levies almost doubled to fund HK$500 million expansion
Debentures to almost double to HK$5 million along with other fee rises, but parents say they were never consulted
A decision by Harrow International School to almost double its debentures to HK$5 million and raise its compulsory annual capital levy by 20 per cent from next year has sparked ire among parents.
The Tuen Mun school has said the increases are necessary to help fund its HK$500 million expansion project, which will increase the number of students at the school from around 1,000 to 1,500.
But parents have said the school never consulted them before announcing the changes and serious traffic congestion around the school make it unfit for expansion.
A consultant helping parents look for schools in Hong Kong urged the government to further regulate the operations of international schools.
The Education Bureau has granted land to international schools at low rents, but these schools do not need to gain the bureau’s approval to charge fees outside tuition fees.
“The tuition fees are highly regulated,” said Ruth Benny, founder of Top Schools, which offers advice for parents on schools. “So if I’m a school and I want to raise my tuition 20 per cent, and I know that the [bureau] won’t allow this, I will simply apply for a 5 per cent [tuition fee] increase and then add all the other fees to make up the difference.”
