Many private schools in Hong Kong have been raising fees for their additional services outside of the standard tuition fee. The government has stepped in and made it a requirement that these schools offer justification for the fee increase as reported in this article from the SCMP.
The bureau will look closely at how much parents are asked to pay at the schools, and for what reasons, following criticism by the city’s ombudsman. The city has about 160 private schools, including more than 50 international schools. Until now, they only needed to seek the bureau’s approval for charging tuition fees.
But many schools impose various additional fees, amounting to millions of Hong Kong dollars a year in total from each student. These fees have long allowed the schools to raise extra income, and parents who are willing to fork out more for optional charges gained priority for their children’s admission.
The move by the government to require increased transparency from private fee paying schools in Hong Kong seems like a positive move for all involved. Parents should be able to reasonably expect to be told what every fee is for.
Photo / Image Credit :
"HONG KONG (March 14, 2014) Chief Culinary Specialist Pearline Jones, left, tells students about her life as a Sailor at Leung Shek Chee Girls College. Blue Ridge port visits represent an opportunity to promote peace and stability in the South Indo-Asia-Pacific region, demonstrate commitment to regional partners and foster growing relationships. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Heather Ewton/Released)" by COMSEVENTHFLT is under licensed to (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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