Hong Kong’s subsidised kindergartens have tuition fee increases approved as some feel financial squeeze of coronavirus
- About 280 schools received the green light to raise tuitions, though most increases were modest
- Still, one kindergarten principal said the increases weren’t enough to cover operational costs
Some 280 subsidised kindergartens have had their applications to raise tuition fees approved by Hong Kong’s Education Bureau this academic year, with at least five increasing prices by more than 40 per cent, according to an analysis of official data.
Of the 610 subsidised kindergartens that offer full-day classes, at least 327 have frozen their tuition levels, while three actually cut their fees. Most of the rest were allowed to raise fees by no more than 10 per cent.
Of the 1,000 kindergartens serving about 170,000 pupils in the city, some 730 are non-profit and heavily subsidised by the government. In the 2020-21 school year, they received HK$36,080 annually for every child attending half-day courses, and between HK$46,900 and HK$57,730 for each student on full-day sessions.
An examination of the newly approved kindergarten fees released by the Education Bureau on Wednesday found the highest increase was at Yaumatei Yang Memorial Methodist Pre-School, where the annual tuition fees spiked by more than 120 per cent, from HK$5,268 to HK$11,760.
Other kindergartens that raised their fees by more than 40 per cent included Light and Love Home Happy Kindergarten (On Tai) in Kwun Tong, which raised fees by 90 per cent, from HK$4,000 to HK$7,600, and MOE Kindergarten in Tsuen Wan, whose fees jumped by nearly 60 per cent, from HK$11,616 to HK$18,414.
Still, about 90 per cent of the city’s half-day kindergarten courses remain free this academic year, while full-day tuition fees are generally relatively low – usually averaging HK$860 per month, a HK$40 increase from last year.
