LCQ2: International school places
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     Following is a question by the Hon Miriam Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (February 1):

Question:

     The authorities have indicated that the Government supports the development of a vibrant international school sector in addressing the demand for international school places of overseas families living in Hong Kong and families coming to Hong Kong for work or investment.  It has been learnt that quite a number of foreign chambers of commerce have recently warned that international school places in Hong Kong are in severe shortage, and they have even pointed out that the situation has already reached crisis level, threatening Hong Kong's status as a world-class city.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it knows the respective numbers of students on the waiting list for admission to various international schools in Hong Kong in the past five years and the longest waiting time; among those on the waiting list, of the ratio between local and non-local students;

(b) whether the authorities have received complaints about the severe shortage of international school places from the chambers of commerce concerned; if they have, whether they have assessed if the shortage of such school places has reached crisis level; if the assessment result is in the affirmative, of the policy to alleviate the situation; if the assessment result is in the negative, whether they will follow up the relevant complaints; and

(c) given that it has been reported that the authorities intend to adopt a new policy that requires those international schools which are newly allocated vacant school premises or sites for development to reduce the maximum percentage of their intake of local students from 50% to 30%, so that the additional international school places to be provided in the coming few years can meet the ever-increasing demand for such school places from non-local students, of the specific details of such policy and its impact on alleviating the demand of non-local students; whether this policy will be extended to existing international schools?
 
Reply

President,

     To address the demand for international school places from overseas families living in Hong Kong, and families coming to Hong Kong for work or investment, the Administration has implemented various facilitation measures including allocating vacant school premises and greenfield sites for development of international schools, as well as facilitating in-situ expansion of existing international schools, in supporting the development of the international school sector.  Our response to the three parts of the question raised by the Hon Miriam Lau is as follows:

(a) We have been collecting data on the number of students on the waiting list of international schools through the annual Student Enrolment Survey.  We are at the moment unable to provide a complete picture in relation to the number of students on the waiting list and the ratio of local students to non-local students as majority of the international schools have not provided their returns.  We are conducting a Thematic Household Survey through the Census and Statistics Department and have commissioned a consultancy study to stocktake the existing provision of international school places and project future demand and supply, including collecting data from households interviewed on the waiting time in admitting to international schools.  We are gathering and collating relevant data and are compiling the survey results.

(b) We have been maintaining dialogues with chambers of commerce, international schools and other concerned parties to keep track of the supply and demand of international school places and to support the development of the international school sector.  We note that demand from the community for international school places has been increasing.  Some popular and well-established international schools have longer waiting lists in recent years.  We note that some consider that difficulties in securing international school places may discourage overseas investors from coming to Hong Kong.  On the other hand, we are aware that some parents have placed their children on the waiting list of more than one (as many as four or five) international school.  Most of these parents seek after international school places on the Hong Kong Island.

     As mentioned above, we have commissioned a consultancy study which aims to stocktake the existing provision of international school places and project future demand and supply.  We will review the demand and supply of international school places taking into account views gauged from various channels and the outcome of the consultancy study.  We will consider any further allocation of school premises and greenfield sites for international school development should such need arise and when suitable premises and sites are available for permanent international school use.  Moreover, we will continue to actively support in-situ expansion of existing international schools, including giving policy support for their redevelopment plans and for their use of vacant school premises as temporary campuses, or referring interested international school operators to school sponsoring bodies with privately owned sites to explore the feasibility of utilising vacant school premises at these sites.  

     In response to the demand from the community for international school places, we have allocated four vacant school premises and four greenfield sites between 2007 and 2009 for the expansion or development of international schools.  Over the past two years, we have approved applications from seven international schools for using vacant school premises as temporary campuses.  Furthermore, we have given in-principle support for the Hong Kong International School to expand its High and Middle School in Tai Tam and to redevelop its Lower Primary School in Repulse Bay, and provided other related support and assistance to the school on the redevelopment project.  The above measures will provide a total of over 4 500 international school places from 2011/12 and 2012/13 school years onwards.

(c) In line with the prevailing policy requirement applicable to international schools which have been allocated greenfield sites or vacant school premises, at least 50% of the overall student population of these schools should be its target students, i.e. non-local children.  In order to ensure that the increase in international school places in the schools mentioned above could catch up with the increasing demand from non-local families, we have imposed a new requirement for successful operators being allocated greenfield sites and vacant premises to admit non-local students at no less than 70% of their overall student population.  This requirement has been applicable to international schools that have been allocated greenfield sites in 2009 (excluding international boarding school).

Ends/Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:39

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