With on-campus classes suspended amid coronavirus, Hong Kong student unions push for partial refunds
- Student unions at six of the city’s eight public universities are seeking tuition fee refunds, with some citing quality of online teaching
- Separately, Baptist University urges students living in mainland China and overseas to avoid returning to Hong Kong during outbreak
At least six Hong Kong university student unions are demanding a partial refund of tuition fees after face-to-face classes on campus were axed for at least a month amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The calls for refunds, made independently and confirmed by the Post, came as Baptist University issued an urgent message on Wednesday asking all non-local students in mainland China and overseas to not return to Hong Kong to avoid the risk of exposure and the need for quarantine.
The city’s eight publicly funded universities, which have about 100,000 students, including 18,000 from the mainland and overseas, have extended the suspension of most classes through March 2, with online courses at some universities beginning as early as this week.
At least six of the universities’ student unions said they would discuss with university management the possibility of a partial refund for the second term, as many students have voiced concerns over the issue.
Tuition fees are about HK$42,100 (US$5,400) per year for local students at public universities, and about HK$140,000 for non-locals, though the latter varies from university to university.