ESF Subvention
Your support makes a difference
Dear Parent
Parents will be relieved to hear that the government has no immediate plans to cut ESF’s subvention, as discussed in the Legislative Council (LegCo) Education Panel’s meeting yesterday afternoon, but the Education Bureau (EDB)’s proposal to examine whether ESF can become self-financing in the future is still on the table.
Most of the LegCo Members thought that the availability of affordable English-medium education is vital to Hong Kong’s long-term development, and that ESF plays an important role in providing this style of education. It was generally agreed that while the uniqueness of ESF and the high-quality education it provides should be sustained, there is a need to reposition ESF to cater for Hong Kong’s needs today, as well as to make the best use of public money.
LegCo Members thought that subvention must be accompanied by a strict and effective supervision and monitoring mechanism, such as that which applies to the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools. However, they believed that the academic autonomy and professional freedom that ESF enjoys should be maintained because they have made ESF the unique and strong organisation it is today. They wished to see ESF continuing to offer its current curriculum, including the International Baccalaureate, as well as high quality English-medium teaching.
It will be very important in the coming negotiations to ensure that there is a proper balance between freedom, flexibility and control in order to safeguard the unique character of ESF.
Carlson Tong, Chairman of ESF reassured members that ESF is very different from ten years ago. It is now a well-run organisation with strong governance and strong internal control, with independent members, parents, School Council Chairmen and staff all represented on the Board. There are also standing and advisory committees to oversee management and monitor its financial affairs. He emphasised that in order that ESF's school fees can become more affordable, consideration has to be given to increasing the subvention from Government and in return, is open to more supervision and monitoring.
The legislators emphasised that the repositioning of ESF and the review of the subvention arrangements should not affect any of the current parents and children. They urged ESF to work with parents and EDB to come up with a subvention model which includes supervision and monitoring mechanisms. There should also be a review of the admissions policy which will enable ESF to strike a good balance in serving different groups of families, namely, those who have settled in and made Hong Kong their home, those who have come to Hong Kong to invest or work, and all those who need an English-medium education and an international curriculum. It is expected that there will be a further report for discussion in the LegCo Education Panel by end of 2011.
Finally, we wish to thank all of you who have supported ESF by writing to the LegCo Members, the EDB and the media over the past two weeks. We believe your views have made a difference by helping the officials and lawmakers understand the needs of the Hong Kong community for affordable English-medium education. It will be very important to keep the issues in front of LegCo Members in the new legislative session.
Yours sincerely,
Heather Du Quesnay
Chief Executive Officer
To go directly to the ESF discussion, enter “5358” in the Time Marker, and click on the pointer.
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