ESF parents fume at early demand for payment

Simon Parry and Liz Heron South China Morning Post - Dec 11, 2010
English Schools Foundation (ESF) parents with children about to start secondary school have been hit with a demand for cheques totalling HK$41,000 by the end of January in advance fees and levies for the school year starting next August. A letter has gone out to parents asking for a HK$16,000 deposit along with HK$25,000 to cover the new refundable levy by January 28 if they want to secure their children's places in ESF secondary schools. Parents are told in the letters they can send a separate post-dated cheque for the levy - which the ESF told them earlier was not due until May 21 - but are warned their children's places will not be confirmed until the cheque is cleared. The demand - which follows a debate over the introduction of the levy and steep rises in ESF school fees over the past five years - has angered some parents, who say it is excessive and that deposits should no longer be necessary now the controversial levy is being imposed. They are also unhappy parents must pay by direct debit in future and wary that mandate forms sent by the ESF showing an upper limit of HK$8,000 a month for primary schools and HK$11,000 for secondary schools indicate further fee rises. ESF officials said they were making direct debits mandatory and asking for the levy and deposit simultaneously to ease the administrative burden and to be more "environmentally friendly". The upper limits were a "buffer" against fee rises and rejected direct debits, they said. Hans Ladegaard of the ESF Concerned Parents group said it was "unethical" for the ESF to ask for the levy four months early. "There is no concern for parents and the financial difficulties we might have," he said. "Several parents from all ESF schools have written to us during the past week and complained. They are terribly distressed, and some of them have no idea how they are going to raise so much money in just one month." Tracey Duggan, whose son will move up from Kennedy School to West Island School next year, said the ESF payment demand was "aggressive". "It gives us very little warning," she said. "Christmas is coming, my tax is due and we are already taking out a bank loan to cover that. "The letter came as a shock because it is seven clear months before my son steps through the doors (of West Island School). "We knew the levy was coming and we presumed by paying the levy we probably wouldn't have to pay advance school fees. We are very happy with ESF and the teachers but not with the management." Mother-of-two Duggan, a pre-school supervisor and a former ESF pupil herself, said: "I also object to being told I have to pay by direct debit. I don't think that's fair. "We aren't on an expat package. We have to juggle money when we have tax due, or we need new windows or the dog is sick. It's life." At a stormy public meeting attended by 30 parents at Bradbury School on Thursday, Russell Williams, a parent member of the ESF's governing board, said the letter "alienates parents". "The board discussed the refundable capital levy in March and it is my belief that the board said the ESF should split the two payments of the levy and the deposit on fees," he said. "We had discussions and the parent board members saw the logic of discontinuing the deposit on fees for parents who have to pay the capital levy this year. The board's decision was that both the levy and the deposit should be paid but they should not be requested at the same time. But we have now had a letter that asks for both the capital levy and the deposit by January. To put them in one letter has proven to be a bad communication idea because it alienates parents." One angry parent, Angela Lam, who has a 12-year-old son at Sha Tin College and a 10-year-old daughter at Sha Tin Junior School, told ESF executives: "I feel that you are bullying me as a parent. We have no choice. Unlike some people, my fees do not come out of a company. They come out of my hard-earned pocket. What happens if we can't afford to pay? Are you going to kick us out of school?" ESF chief executive Heather Du Quesnay assured parents at the meeting: "We are not asking for HK$41,000 now. I have reassured you that your child's place will be held if we get the post-dated cheque by the end of May. "We have to make sure that we are very clear with parents that a place can't be held if the cheque will not be cleared by the end of May. We can't afford to offer places to parents unless we can be sure that they are able to meet their obligations in time." Responding to questions from the South China Morning Post , ESF communications manager Susanna Chiu said in an e-mail: "The reason for collecting post-dated cheques by January 28 is to avoid the additional administrative burden of having to follow up with parents and for parents to send in cheques then. "As the cheque can be post-dated up to May 21, and can only be cleared with the bank on or after the date of the cheque, it should make no difference to the parents whether to write the cheque now or in middle of May." Asked about the direct debit mandates and the upper limits allowing the ESF to claim greater monthly amounts, Chiu said: "Direct debit is a cost-effective and efficient way for parents to pay and for ESF to receive fees on a regular basis. We want to save administrative costs and be environmental friendly."