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Written by: Kuang Xiaobin
2020-09-24 17:08
Last update date: 2020-09-24 17:16
All primary and secondary schools and kindergartens in Hong Kong resumed face-to-face courses for the new school year in phases starting yesterday.
The Education Bureau stated today (24th) that it had received 23 DSS applications for adjustment of tuition fees for the current school year, and all of them were approved for fee increases. The authorities indicated an average increase of 3.68%.
"Hong Kong 01" counts the "Certificates of Charges" of all DSS schools. Among them, Lin Taihui Middle School has the highest rate of increase. This school year has increased by more than 20% to 33,000 yuan per year.
Tai Po San Yu Middle School has an increase of about 18% this school year, and the annual tuition fee is 9,800 yuan.
The prestigious Diocesan Girls’ School originally planned to apply for an increase of 5.26% in tuition, but it is reported that the school eventually withdrew it and the tuition for the new school year remains unchanged.
Diocesan Girls’ College originally planned to apply for an increase of 5.26% in May this year. It is reported that the school finally decided to withdraw the application for an increase, and the school’s tuition remained at 38,000 yuan.
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There are currently about 80 DSS schools in Hong Kong. As of August 31 this year, the Education Bureau has received 5 DSS (Direct Subsidy Scheme) primary schools, 18 DSS secondary schools, 12 private primary schools and 10 international schools. The 2020/21 school year plus tuition application.
The overall rate of increase data from the Education Bureau shows that the approved tuition increase for 5 DSS primary schools is 4.4% or less; 14 DSS secondary schools have an increase of 4.4% or less, and 4 schools have an increase of 4.41% to 10%.
Regarding private elementary schools, 11 schools increased their fees by 10% or less, and one school increased their fees by more than 10%.
Eight international schools have increased their fees by 10% or less, and two have increased by more than 10%.
"Hong Kong 01" counts the tuition increase rates of the "Charge Certificates" of various DSS schools. Among them, Lin Taihui Middle School has the highest increase. The new school year's secondary level tuition fee reaches 33,000 yuan, an increase of about 22% over the previous school year; Secondary 2 to The increase for S6 is about 4%, and the tuition fee for this school year is about 28,000 yuan.
In the new school year, Tai Po San Yu Middle School's secondary level tuition fee is 9,800 yuan, an increase of about 19% over last year (see the table below for details).
St. Paul’s Co-educational High School and its affiliated primary schools do not apply for additional tuition in the new school year.
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Diocesan Girls’ College originally planned to apply for an increase of 5.26% in May this year. It is reported that the school has finally decided to withdraw the application for an increase. According to the Education Bureau’s fee certificate, the school’s tuition is maintained at 38,000 yuan. According to the school’s website, the annual tuition for the year of 2021-22 The same is 38,000 yuan.
Diocesan Girls’ College responded to the inquiry of "Hong Kong 01" and stated that since the school was converted to a direct subsidy school in 2005, the annual tuition is 38,000 yuan, which has remained unchanged for 15 years.
The school stated that it had considered adjusting tuition fees at the beginning of this year. Based on the fact that the new crown pneumonia epidemic has become more serious this year, the overall economic situation of the society has become unstable. In order to avoid increasing the burden on parents, the school finally decided to maintain the current tuition level, and it will not be the next year. Plan to increase tuition.
YMCA has increased the fees by about 6.7% this year, and the annual tuition fee is about 48,000 yuan.
Principal Chen Dian, who is also the chairman of the DSS School Council, said that the school has frozen tuition fees for levels other than the secondary level in response to the epidemic, and secondary level parents are also aware of the latest tuition fees before applying for admission.
He bluntly said that it is estimated that the amount of funding provided by the Education Bureau this year will not change much, but the financial situation may be affected under the epidemic. Therefore, the school has postponed some development projects in the hope of avoiding tuition increases and reducing the burden on parents.
Chen Di'an said that due to the epidemic, the school’s non-local students have decreased by 5 to 6 compared to previous years, but the overall number is similar to previous years.
He also revealed that some grades of students finally decided to leave Hong Kong this year and go overseas to study, but the relevant number is not large.
Vice Chairman Zhao Xiangqi believes that DSS schools with a tuition increase of more than 10% should be individual cases. He said that the Education Bureau is very strict in reviewing and approving price increases.
He said that under the epidemic, DSS schools also need to adopt online teaching, but some parents may have opinions on tuition fees, and some schools may feel pressure in these areas.
The Dean of YMCA Letters College, who is also the chairman of the DSS School Council, said that the school has frozen the tuition fees for levels other than the secondary level in response to the epidemic, and the secondary level parents are also aware of the latest tuition fees before applying for admission.
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22 DSS schools apply for tuition adjustment, female Diocesan intends to increase more than 5%, male Diocesan Yinghua remains unchanged
Education Bureau allocates 60 million yuan to subsidize public and direct-subsidized schools to buy books for primary and secondary school students to read during summer vacation
More than half of DSS schools were approved to increase tuition fees. Yuanxuan Elementary School increased fees by 20%, and Yinghua College increased by more than 10%
The Education Bureau emphasizes that when approving applications for adjustment of tuition fees by direct-subsidized schools, it will carefully review the budget submitted by the school and the reasons for the adjustment of tuition fees, and confirm that the school has consulted parents, including providing parents with relevant school financial information and explaining the reasons for the increase.
DSS schools are also required to set aside no less than 10% of the total tuition income for tuition fee remissions and scholarships to ensure that students' learning will not be affected by family financial difficulties.
The Education Bureau pointed out that when processing private schools and international schools' tuition adjustment applications, they will also carefully consider the rationale and financial status of the school, and require schools to fully communicate with parents regarding the application for tuition adjustments and properly respond to their concerns.
DSS Education Bureau Education
