German consulate stands by Swiss government in Hong Kong international school management row
- Swiss consulate confirms it will terminate its involvement and funding in the German Swiss International School as its demands were not met
- German consulate says it is ‘on the same page’ with the Swiss government, whose demands were aimed at improving the school’s governance
The German consulate has thrown its weight behind the Swiss government in a row over the management of a prestigious Hong Kong international school they fund, blaming the institution’s managing board for the escalating dispute.
But the German Swiss International School (GSIS) fired back on Wednesday, insisting efforts had been made to negotiate with the Swiss government, which had requested to remove “Swiss” from the name of the institution after its demands to have more say in its operations were voted down.
The issue came to light last week after the Swiss consulate confirmed it would terminate its involvement and funding for the GSIS. It also threatened further action if the school did not remove the words “Swiss” and “Schweizerische” from its name.
The reason for the withdrawal dates back to a months-long row, as the Swiss government last year requested five changes to the school’s articles to have more say, including having a voting seat on the board from the Swiss School Committee and a non-voting representative from the Swiss consulate at all board meetings, as well as mandatory rotation of the board chair every two years.
It had warned that it would pull itself out of the school if the five requirements were not met.