Non-local pupils could face HK$350,000 in fees at Hong Kong semi-private schools

Non-local students could pay up to HK$350,000 (US$44,680) per year to study in Hong Kong’s semi-private schools after the institutions were allowed to admit them by offering additional places, with scholarships to cover some expenses.

But an education consultant specialising in expatriate placements for Hong Kong schools said the charges were uncompetitive, noting the cost exceeded those of a premium British boarding school in Malaysia and Thailand.

The Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) Schools Council said on Monday that a four-day trip to Bangkok in Thailand and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia was being organised for the coming Friday to promote DSS schools.

The promotional event followed the government’s approval of 48 DSS schools to add classes or places for non-local students on a self-financing basis – one of the initiatives announced in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address last year to pave the way for these candidates to study at Hong Kong universities.

“We will be able to directly contact parents and students there to introduce our schools. The trip is only our first promotion tour,” said Dion Chen, the vice-chairman of the DSS Schools Council.

“After summarising the experience in the first trip, we will continue to hold other tours to engage more schools to go to different places.”