Citing higher expenses, over 80pc of the city's kindergartens bumped up their fees this year but critics say the increases lack transparency
GLORIA CHANgloria.chan@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 08 September, 2015, 12:00am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 08 September, 2015, 9:05am
Children learn proper ways of handwashing in a kindergarten. Photo: May Tse
Local parents are paying higher kindergarten fees, some as much as 29 per cent more than last school year, according to the latest information on approved fee rise applications.
The cost of sending a child to Sham Shui Po's Cheung Sha Wan Kai Fong Welfare Association Lam Tam Yin Wah Kindergarten shot up by 29 per cent to HK$44,400 from HK$34,428 last year, the South China Morning Postlearned. Tin Shui Wai's Academy Kindergarten also significantly raised its fees for its whole-day session, up 23 per cent to HK$40,000 from HK$32,500. Both schools declined to comment on the increases.
According to an Education Bureau spokesman, out of 972 registered kindergartens in the city, 799 were given approval to increase fees in the 2015-16 school year. Of the rest, 117 kindergartens did not adjust their fees, eight reduced them, and 32 applications were still being processed. The remaining 16 kindergartens are new.
Across all schools, the average tuition increase was 8.3 per cent, comparable to last year.
Salary adjustments of staff, improving teacher-to-pupil ratios, cumulative losses, and improving school facilities were the main factors for consideration when approving tuition fee changes, the spokesman said.
The exterior of Kellett School's campus in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP PicturesFees at certain international kindergartens also climbed. The cost of sending a child to Kellett School's preparatory year increased by 10 per cent from HK$128,970 last year to HK$143,300 this year. Canadian International School fees increased by eight per cent, from HK$87,150 to HK$94,120.
A Kellett School representative, citing higher operating costs, said: "We are an expanding not-for-profit school on a break-even margin."
Ip Kin-yuen, education sector lawmaker and vice-president of the Professional Teachers' Union, said the system for approving kindergarten tuition fees was unsatisfactory and lacking in transparency.
"The problem is that each kindergarten is like a private company and only needs to explain to and seek approval from the government," said Ip, adding that the bureau had so far failed to thoroughly explain its decisions.
"The best solution is to have 15 years of free education, then all kindergartens will have to be fully transparent with their fee increases," he added.
Currently, the government gives parents a HK$22,510 voucher for each kindergarten pupil. The voucher amount rose 12.5 per cent from HK$20,010 last year.
"We predicted that the average increase in school fees this year will be higher than the inflation rate, yet the increased voucher value can cancel out the school fees increase," the bureau spokesman said.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1856154/expensive-lessons-cost-hong-kong-kindergartens
