Hong Kong’s semi-private schools get go-ahead to raise fees by 4% on average, highest in 4 years, after ‘tough time under inflation, pandemic’
- Education Bureau says it received 187 applications from schools charging tuition fees, including 49 from those covered under direct subsidy scheme
- Increases among subsidised schools ‘understandable and reasonable’ after institutions contend with inflation, frozen fees during pandemic, education body says
Hong Kong’s semi-private schools have been given the green light to increase fees by about 4 per cent on average, the most in four years, with an education body attributing the move to inflation and a price freeze during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Education Bureau on Thursday said it had received 187 applications to increase tuition fees from private and international schools, as well as semi-private ones under the government’s direct subsidy scheme (DSS).
Only seven of the applications had been rejected, it added.
The bureau scrutinised applications from DSS schools based on their submitted budgets, the rationale behind the increase and whether the institutions had consulted and explained their reasoning to parents, it said.
42 per cent of Hong Kong kindergartens applied to raise tuition fees
Schools under the scheme won approval to increase fees by 4.09 per cent on average for the 2023-24 academic year, while their private and international counterparts got the green light to raise them by 5.41 per cent and 4.5 per cent, respectively.
The figures were higher than those approved for last year, when DSS institutions were allowed an increase of 2.48 per cent on average. Private and international schools respectively secured raises of 4.23 per cent and 4.26 per cent. Fewer than 170 schools had applied.
Among the subsidised campuses given the go-ahead to raise fees for next year was St Paul’s Convent School’s secondary section, which had sought an increase of up to 20 per cent in its first successful application since it joined the scheme almost 20 years ago.
The elite girls’ school in Causeway Bay can raise fees for Form One to Three by 20 per cent, the highest among lower forms at DSS institutions, while Form Four to Six students will face an increase of 16 per cent.
The Post has approached the school for comment.
Under the current system, schools charging fees can file an annual application for an increase. This year, 49 of the 71 institutions covered by the subsidy scheme applied to raise them, with only one being rejected.
The primary and secondary sections at Diocesan Boys’ School were among those approved to raise fees, getting clearance for increases of 15 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.
A spokeswoman for the school said it has consulted each section’s parent-teacher association and sent out a survey before opting to apply for an increase.
“The vast majority of parents have responded and expressed their understanding and agreement with the adjustment plan,” she said. “We truly appreciate their support for the school.”
The adjusted fees would go towards developing the school’s curriculum and upgrading learning spaces, the spokeswoman said, adding that scholarships were available for those in need.
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Dion Chen, chairman of the Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, said most of those covered by the scheme had applied for an increase because of the effects of inflation, while some had frozen fees amid the pandemic.
“The increase among DSS schools is understandable and reasonable, and all applications went through a due process,” he said.
Ngai Shan-ting, chairwoman of the Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations for Kowloon City district and whose daughter is enrolled in a DSS secondary school, said parents generally found the increase affordable.
“I am quite sure most of the parents choosing DSS schools believe education needs investment, while a 4 per cent increase is not particularly high,” she said.
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Institutions under the scheme offered a range of learning experiences for students, such as hiring elite athletes as coaches, and parents found them to be good value for money, she said.
But she called on schools to improve facilities and teacher quality following the price increase.
As for international schools, Discovery College was listed as having one of the largest fee increases going into 2023-24.
More than 160 schools in Hong Kong to raise fees by average of 3.7 per cent
The institution, which is part of the English Schools Foundation, is set to raise fees for Year Seven to Eleven from HK$177,700 (US$22,630) to HK$189,800, an increase of 7 per cent.
Primary One to Six pupils will have their fees increased by more than 7 per cent, going from HK$134,200 to HK$144,000.
Discovery College told parents in March the increase allowed “us to continue to invest in our people” and vowed that previous extra charges, such as software licences and activity fees, would be covered under the cost of tuition starting this year.
Twelve subsidised kindergartens offering half-day sessions also won approval to raise fees, alongside 401 preschools offering full-day classes. Authorities were still considering 33 applications.
