Hong Kong's ESF international school group plans fee increment of about 4.8%
Hong Kong's largest international school group plans to raise tuition fees by about 4.8 per cent on average – or as much as HK$750 (US$96.40) per month – for its primary and secondary sections in the next academic year, pending authorities' approval.
Advertisement
The fee increase rate was in line with what it proposed to the government last year and subsequently received approval.
On Monday evening, the English Schools Foundation (ESF) met to approve its budget for the coming academic year starting in September, and had greenlit an average 4.8 per cent rise in fees for its primary and secondary sections.
If approved, parents will have to pay HK$650 to HK$750 more monthly, depending on which grade their children are in.
But for Discovery college, a private independent school under ESF, a fee rise of 5.9 per cent was proposed to the government, meaning parents have to pay HK$900 to HK$1,190 more monthly.
Advertisement
For its five kindergartens, it proposed an increase of 6.26 per cent to 9.9 per cent to education authorities, with Abacus International Kindergarten in Sai Kung having the largest proposed increase at nearly 10 per cent.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
HKFP
23 minutes ago
- HKFP
Hong Kong pro-democracy business hit with ‘unwarranted' tax demand, owner says
A Hong Kong pro-democracy shop owner has said his business is facing 'unwarranted' tax demands. Derek Chu, an ex-district councillor and the owner of e-commerce company As One, said on Tuesday that the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) demanded in April that his business pay HK$120,075 in profit tax for the financial year 2023-24. The tax assessment would mean As One made a profit of about HK$1.5 million in 2023-24, but in reality, his shop only recorded a profit of less than HK$100,000, Chu told HKFP in a phone interview. Most of As One's HK$4 million income last year was spent on salaries, rent, and restocking products, he added. 'The numbers should have been obvious to the IRD,' Chu said. 'I don't know how they could see that much profit.' The shop owner, who also founded the prisoners' rights advocacy group Waiting Bird, accused the IRD of 'targeting' his business and said he decided to speak up about the tax demand to 'set the record straight.' 'It's about telling people that what the IRD did was completely unwarranted,' he said. HKFP has contacted the IRD for comment. Part of As One's business model is selling gift packages for prisoners, which accounted for about a third of the shop's income, according to an Instagram post published on Monday. The company relies on loans from Chu's family members to maintain cash flow, and it has accumulated debts totalling over HK$1 million since the business started in 2021, he said. He has been repaying the loan, but there is still an outstanding amount of 'hundreds of thousands' of dollars, Chu told HKFP. The five full-time staff members and two part-time staffers only earn meagre salaries of less than HK$20,000 a month, while Chu himself has never got paid in full, he said. The IRD's tax demand has made his business 'harder' as he has to borrow more from his family members to pay the tax, he added. Independent media's tax audits Chu's disclosure comes nearly two weeks after the Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) made a similar announcement last month. According to the press union, six independent media outlets in the city have been facing tax audits from the IRD since late 2023, with the IRD making errors and 'strange, unreasonable claims' in its tax assessments and demands. The outlets include HKFP, InMedia, The Witness, ReNews, Boomhead, and one that did not wish to be named. In a statement, HKFP said it has been cooperating fully with the IRD's tax audit, adding that it has 'always met its tax obligations, paid IRD demands immediately, and ensured meticulous record-keeping' since it was established in 2015. According to the HKJA, 20 individuals, including heads of media outlets and their spouses, are also subject to the IRD's audits and backdated tax demands. The HKJA also faces the IRD's scrutiny. When asked by a reporter about the matter, Chief Executive John Lee brushed off HKJA's allegations and said that journalists 'have no privilege to evade taxes.'
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Vietnam faces ‘long' list of ‘tough' US demands to cut Chinese imports in tariff talks
The US sent a 'long' list of 'tough' requests to Vietnam in its tariff negotiations, including demands that could force the country to cut its reliance on Chinese industrial goods imports, two people briefed about the matter said. Advertisement Washington wants Vietnam-based factories to reduce their use of materials and components from China and is asking the country to control more carefully its production and supply chains, one of the people briefed on the talks said, without elaborating on whether quantitative targets were included. The list is part of an 'annex' to a framework text prepared by US negotiators, according to four people familiar with the matter. One of them, who had direct access to the document, said the list was sent to Hanoi at the end of May after the conclusion of a second round of talks with Washington aimed at avoiding 46 per cent 'reciprocal' tariffs on imports from Vietnam. The sources declined to be named because those discussions were not public. Advertisement
RTHK
14 hours ago
- RTHK
Security risks put paid to communications tender
Security risks put paid to communications tender Chris Tang says tendering can still be adopted to procure items that don't have any national security implications. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on Tuesday the government has decided to skip the tendering process in procuring a next-generation communications system for the police force after taking into consideration national security risks. The force began parallel tendering to select a service provider to upgrade its communication system with 5G capabilities two years ago. However, the open tender process has since been abandoned, with the force citing geopolitical risks affecting supply chains and concerns over information security. According to papers submitted to Legco, authorities said they opted to directly approach a "reliable" service provider of their choice. In a Legislative Council security panel meeting, Tang said the decision on next-generation communications does not mean that all police procurements will skip the tendering process. 'We believe national security considerations are necessary but they do not mean every procurement exercise has to place them as our top priority,' he said. 'For example, we would also have to procure stationery and other products. So as long as they don't have any national security implications, we believe we should still adopt the conventional method of putting procurements up for tender.' The project's estimated cost has also substantially reduced to HK$2 billion, a more than 60 percent decrease compared to the original estimate of HK$5.2 billion. Tang assured lawmakers that this would not affect the system's functionality. 'We have already enhanced the design," he said. "For example, initially we were supposed to have two sets of hardware, and now we can have one with built-in firewalls. "All these have been adopted without affecting our operational efficiency. Therefore it's now cheaper and still equally efficient.' The proposed system also adopts a hybrid model, whereby the government will build and operate the core network and base stations, which will be complemented by commercial services for broader coverage and cost-effectiveness. Tang said the police will have priority in using the 5G network in congested areas, such as during fireworks shows. Annual expenditure for the proposed system will be about HK$40 million higher than current costs, but Tang stressed the higher expenditure incurred in upgrading the system is necessary to enhance efficiency. Lawmakers agreed to allow the proposal to proceed to the finance committee stage this month.
