Data is painting a picture of rampant demand in Hong Kong for English medium education, with new international school expansions unlikely to keep up with booming demand in the former British territory. Research from the International Schools Consultancy Group (ISC) details that the government tender process to open new schools is seeing up to 40 bids to operate sites for new schools.
And ISC says that the removal of a subsidy for government-funded schools (English School Foundation-operated schools) may further contribute to growth in the private school sector – its data shows that the number of international schools has shot up from 92 to 171 in the last 14 years.
“Schools are looking towards a period of essential expansion and development as local families become increasingly wealthy”
Since 2000, the number of students they accommodate has almost doubled from 34,200 to 66,138.
Almost half follow a UK curriculum, while 42% have an international orientation such as the International Baccalaureate.
A number of new developments are in the pipeline, including a HK$900 million (US$116m) redevelopment of Hong Kong International School. (The expansion is set to provide an additional 200 additional places, bringing it to a full capacity of 850 primary age students in 2017.)
However, ISC has said that such projects are “unlikely to fully satisfy the anticipated demand for places within the next few years”.
The shortage of international school places could have serious implications for global businesses operating in Hong Kong. According to ISC, multinational businesses that depend on employee mobility are “seriously concerned” that this may prevent them from recruiting expatriate staff with families.
The number of domestic students attending government-subsidised English Schools Foundation (ESF) institutions, which were established to provide access to affordable, in-country English language tuition, has also risen in recent years.
However, the government announced in 2013 that the HK$283 million (US$36.5m) annual subsidy will be phased out over a 13 years period, beginning in 2016.
At the time of the announcement, Ip Kin-yuen, deputy chairman of the education panel of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, said that parents should call on the government to encourage non-profit groups to set up more affordable international schools.
“Not all expats are rich and high tuition fees don’t necessarily mean a good education,” he said. “International schools have become more and more expensive. The government should really review the whole international school system.”
“Even with the increase in fees for the ESF schools, Hong Kong international schools are looking towards a period of essential expansion and development as local families become increasingly wealthy and the expatriate market continues to expand,” said ISC Chairman Nicholas Brummitt. “The market needs to grow to respond to the demands.”
