Hong Kong education bureau approves fee hikes for 134 schools, kindergartens
Hong Kong's Education Bureau has approved fee increases for 134 private, international and direct-subsidy schools, with average rises of 4 to 4.75 per cent. It also approved increases for 492 kindergartens, where the median fee per instalment is about HK$1,130, up HK$40 year on year.
The Education Bureau of Hong Kong has approved fee increase applications from 134 schools and 492 kindergartens for the current academic year, according to a statement from the bureau.
The approvals cover 49 direct-subsidy schools, 74 private and international schools — a total of 60 applications — with average increases ranging from 4 per cent to 4.75 per cent. Among them, one private secondary school and one direct-subsidy secondary school were allowed increases of more than 10 per cent.
As of the end of August, the bureau had received applications from 53 private primary schools, 21 private secondary schools and 62 international schools for this school year. All but one international school application were approved. The average increases for private and international schools were 4.75 per cent and 4 per cent respectively.
Among international schools, Harrow International School Hong Kong's primary and secondary sections saw a 3.8 per cent rise, Kellett School about 4.5 per cent, Hong Kong Jewish International School nearly 5 per cent, and Yew Chung International School about 5 per cent for primary and 4.54 per cent for secondary. AOG St Hilary's College (Primary Section) rose 5.8 per cent, and ISF Academy 4.5 per cent for both sections.
For direct-subsidy schools, all applications from 12 primary and 37 secondary schools were approved, with average increases of 4.07 per cent. One primary and three secondary schools were allowed increases of 4.21 to 10 per cent, while one secondary school was allowed more than 10 per cent.
The bureau also approved fee increases for 492 kindergartens offering whole-day or long whole-day programmes, with the median fee per instalment at about HK$1,130. The bureau said about 90 per cent of half-day kindergarten programmes are free, while parents of whole-day or long whole-day programmes pay part of the additional cost. The median fee is up HK$40 year on year, with overall fees remaining at a low level, according to the bureau.