Hong Kong authorities order soon-to-close kindergarten to reimburse parents for funding towards apparent campus improvements

Education Bureau told the Post it instructed Rightmind Kindergarten to return the funds, after school said it would shut in July over lack of suitable investors

Kindergarten operator had invited parents to contribute HK$23,000 per child into a ‘Capital Contribution Scheme’ meant to ‘update, maintain and improve’ the campus

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Rightmind Kindergarten had asked parents to contribute HK$23,000 per child into a ‘Capital Contribution Scheme’ which it said was to update campus facilities. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 6:00pm, 7 May 2024Updated: 6:31pm, 7 May 2024

Hong Kong’s education authorities have ordered a soon-to-close private kindergarten to reimburse parents for contributions that the school has said is refundable and intended for campus facility improvements.

The Education Bureau told the Post on Monday night that it had instructed Rightmind Kindergarten to return the funds, after the school told parents that it would close down in July due to the lack of suitable investors.

Rightmind, based in the South Horizons housing estate in Southern district, had invited parents to contribute HK$23,000 (US$2,940) per child into a “Capital Contribution Scheme” meant to “update, maintain and improve” school facilities.

That ‘capital fee’ was on top of a regular school fee of HK$8,330 per month charged by the school.

“The amount of HK$23,000 is non-interest bearing, non-transferable and refundable to the contributor in the year that the student graduates K3,” according to a circular seen by the Post.

Parents could choose to “agree” or “disagree” with the terms of the scheme in the reply slip of the circular.