Kindergartens rapped over high miscellaneous fees
Schools on voucher scheme are collecting about HK$3,000 in the fees for each pupil every year
Government auditors rapped some kindergartens for imposing high miscellaneous fees on pupils and failing to retain teachers even as they enjoyed large rental subsidies for their premises.
The Director of Audit's latest report studied 740 kindergartens on the government's voucher scheme under which parents received fee subsidies. The scheme was set up to help less well-off families and also to provide schools with the means for professional development.
Auditors found that 60 per cent of miscellaneous fees were not reported on the schools' official profiles although they accounted for up to 44 per cent of all school fees collected.
An average kindergarten charged about HK$3,000 in miscellaneous fees per pupil annually, the report said. In one case, a school collected "other fees" totalling HK$577,000 a year to fund a "student celebration function".
The audit also found that some kindergartens paid "excessive rent" of up to 84 per cent higher than the market rate assessed by the Rating s and Valuation Department, with the help of the government subsidies they received. In one case, a school reported paying a monthly rent of HK$120,750, but the market rate for the premises was assessed to be just HK$65,500.
The report called for a review of the rent subsidy scheme, which it highlighted as a key area for reform ahead of discussions about providing 15 years of free education.
