Hong Kong’s ESF international school group aims to raise fees by 5.8 per cent on average in coming academic year
- English Schools Foundation also says it plans to incorporate various compulsory charges into the fees, meaning actual annual increase is 4.9 per cent
- Chief executive Belinda Greer says foundation ‘operates in an incredibly competitive market for staff’
Hong Kong’s biggest international school group plans to raise tuition fees by an average of 5.8 per cent in the coming academic year to help attract the best teachers in an “incredibly competitive” market.
The foundation, which has more than 18,000 students studying at its 22 kindergartens, primary schools and secondaries, announced the news in a letter to parents after its board approved the fee rise in a meeting in the evening.
It raised fees by an average of 2.8 per cent this year, after freezing them for two years during the pandemic to support families.
“This was, without question, the right thing to do. However, it was not without its impact,” foundation chief executive Belinda Greer said in the letter.
“Around 80 per cent of our income comes from the fees that we receive from our families, which meant that we had to make some very difficult budgetary decisions, including freezing pay for our staff for two years.
“During the time we froze pay and fees, other schools and groups in Hong Kong continued to increase both. This matters, because we operate in an incredibly competitive market for staff.”
To continue to “attract the world’s best teachers”, Greer said, the board had approved an average fee increase for schools of 5.8 per cent for the coming year.
