Press Conference on ESF Subvention

To:       All Parents of ESF Schools 
cc:       All Parents of Private Independent Schools and Kindergartens (for information only) 

Press Conference on ESF Subvention

We held a press conference yesterday about ESF’s position and what ESF has been negotiating with the Education Bureau on government subvention. We would like to summarise our points for your information:

• We are asking for an increase in government subvention to at least the same level as that of DSS schools. Therefore, the recurrent subvention of HK$284 million per year has to be increased. In 2010-11, DSS primary school students receive HK$35,200, 98% more subvention than ESF primary students and DSS secondary school students HK$43,890, 85% more. My estimate of the size of the overall increase needed was HK$150 million as reported in Apple Daily and Wen Wei Po. (The South China Morning Post misunderstood the point that was being made.)

• ESF children of Hong Kong permanent residents are entitled to government subvention at the same level as that being enjoyed by students in the local school system. Government subvention is not a privilege of ESF but a form of support for the education of Hong Kong children. Around 70% of ESF students have a parent who is a permanent Hong Kong resident.

• If subvention were not increased, or if it were reduced or abolished, in order to maintain the quality of our schools, ESF would be forced to bridge any funding gap by increasing income from parents through fees or other means, and controlling costs as we are operating in an inflationary environment.

• ESF is happy to be the government’s delivery agent of high-quality English-medium education, the kind of education which must be made available to families who have made Hong Kong their home and the international business sector, if Hong Kong has to maintain its position as a “World City”.

• ESF is willing to agree with the Education Bureau on any supervision and monitoring mechanisms related to a subvention model for ESF. However, we must maintain the quality of education by upholding the autonomy in curriculum, training and hiring of teachers.

I hope that our position is clear to you. Please support our campaign for the retention and increase of the subvention.

Yours sincerely,

Carlson Tong
Chairman