Bureau to restart ESF funding talks after 6-year pause

Foundation says it will fight for parity with government and aided schools

Liz Heron Sunday Morning Post - Dec 12, 2010

After a hiatus of more than six years, education chiefs are set to resume talks with the English Schools Foundation over its funding.

The Education Bureau says now is "an appropriate time" for a review of the ESF's subvention, which was withdrawn amid rancour over dysfunctional operational procedures and financial mismanagement.

The announcement was welcomed by chief executive Heather Du Quesnay and parents, who said they would fight for the subvention to be restored to its original level of parity with funding per student in government and aided schools.

"Given that the ESF has established its board of governors and various committees and has also by now put in place a series of reform measures under its governance structure, we consider that it is an appropriate time now to conduct the subvention review with the ESF," the bureau's statement says. "We would commence formal discussion with the ESF shortly and would work out the timetable with the ESF. The review will cover a number of areas including the ESF's role and positioning, its service targets, financial management and fee-related arrangements.

"We will take into account the series of governance and financial reform measures undertaken by the ESF since late 2008, and will review the education services currently provided by the ESF in examining whether the government should continue with the existing mode of subvention and other ... matters."

The ESF's Du Quesnay said: "We have been waiting for the government to start a review for a very long time. I didn't know that they were going to do that today. But I am pleased that they have.

"It is good news that they have set out their intentions so clearly. We know that the subvention has shrunk very significantly since 2003, when it was at its highest, and we do need to see it restored to a higher level.

"I will argue for the restoration of parity and we will put that on the table along with everything else. But I think we need a whole new basis for calculating and deciding what the quantum should be."

Dr Ada Cheng, spokeswoman for the ESF Concerned Parents' Group, which is campaigning against fee increases in the ESF, said: "These talks are long overdue but we are glad that they are finally taking place.

"All ESF students are children of taxpayers in Hong Kong and nearly 70 per cent are permanent residents. So we support the restoration of parity of funding with other Hong Kong children in publicly funded schools."

A government review of the ESF's public funding was put on hold in 2004, when the ESF called in the Audit Commission following claims by its former chief executive Jonathan Harris of dysfunctional management and poorly controlled finances.

Both the ESF's damning 2004 audit report and the 2005 Public Accounts Committee report that followed it called for the bureau to complete its review of the ESF's subvention quickly.

But then Secretary for Education and Manpower Arthur Li Kwok-cheung insisted the ESF complete the governance reforms recommended by the accounts committee before the bureau would resume discussions on the future of the subvention.

Revisions to the ESF Ordinance were passed by legislators in March 2008, with the key reform replacing its bloated 130-member foundation with a 26-seat governing board. That board sat for the first time in October 2008.

But the subvention has since remained static, amounting in the last school year to HK$269 million - 20.6 per cent of the foundation's income compared to 27 per cent in 2000-01, according to the ESF.

The ESF's government grant was frozen for three years at HK$300 million in 2000 following a government review in 1999 that recommended it should be phased out. It was cut by 12 per cent over the three years up to 2006-07, when it was HK$264.7 million.

ESF to seek government help for plan to replace school buildings

Liz Heron Sunday Morning Post - Dec 12, 2010
Leaders of the English Schools Foundation will tomorrow launch their first bid for extra government funding since a damning 2004 audit report by asking legislators to back plans for a new school building. ESF chief executive Heather Du Quesnay will explain to the Legislative Council's education panel why the foundation needs HK$169.3 million of government capital funding to put into the rebuilding of Kowloon Junior School - its oldest campus. The ESF plans to put in HK$220.5 million of its own money - including the proceeds of a HK$25,000 capital levy that is coming in next year - to provide enhancements to the standard government style of campus that is the norm in ESF schools. The bid is the first step in an ambitious plan that aims to replace all the ESF's 15 publicly funded schools within 50 years at an estimated cost of around HK$5 billion. Many of the schools are crumbling or outdated. Following six tumultuous years that saw stinging criticism of the ESF from the Audit Commission and the Public Affairs Committee, reform of its oversized governing foundation, cuts in teachers' pay, funding cuts, and fee increases, ESF chiefs are seeking a new deal with the Education Bureau. They want to secure government capital funds for the rebuilding plan on the grounds that parents will also pay via the levy and the ESF will contribute from its operating surplus, private donations and borrowings. Du Quesnay said the ESF board had adopted the strategy of first wooing the government into discussions of capital works with a view to later moving on to the issue of the future of the government subvention. "We are in Legco on Monday to justify the funding for Kowloon Junior and if that goes according to plan, we will be in the Public Works Subcommittee in January and the Finance Committee in February," she said. "There is a real case that has to be made for the government to see that the ESF is justified in getting increased funding. I am hopeful that we will get something done in the next year." This strategy will have to be revised after the bureau's announcement on Friday that it plans to restart talks on the subvention shortly. ESF chiefs will embark on the negotiations as they face growing unrest among parents over rising fees and charges. A key challenge will be how to contain discontent and head off damage from parents' criticisms. At a public meeting on the ESF's finances on Thursday, the chiefs faced a barrage of hostile questions from angry parents about the levy and losses of HK$21.3 million sustained in 2009-10 by the ESF's two private independent schools. Finance chief Vivian Cheung said the ESF did not cross-subsidise the private independent schools and pledged that their payments would increase to ensure the ESF's investment plus a return was repaid within a 20-year period. But many parents remained unconvinced, with one calculating that the foundation was carrying HK$50 million in depreciation costs for the private independent schools. Hans Ladegaard, spokesman for the Concerned ESF Parents Group, said it was unfair for ESF parents alone to be facing a levy, when Du Quesnay had acknowledged that the sum raised would replace the money invested in the private independents. Du Quesnay said: "We recognise that the subvention is a hugely important issue. By comparison with the subvention ESF received in 2003, the subvention per child is 25 per cent less for primary schools and 30 per cent less for secondary schools. So there has been a huge drop in the value of the subvention per child." But she warned parents to be aware that, if the ESF started discussions on the subvention, "it could go the other way", with the government cutting or even removing the public funding to the foundation.

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."

ESF investment in new schools is no scandal

Letters to the Editor - SCMP, Friday 10 December 2010

You have run several reports about the "concerned parents" group and their complaints about the English Schools Foundation funding for the private independent schools (Discovery College and Renaissance College). One correspondent described this as a "scandalous investment decision".

I beg to differ. If the ESF had bought condominiums in Bangkok or put the lot on the Triple Trio that would be scandalous.

Instead, it did what it has been doing for years, it invested in new schools. The fact that they are under the private independent schools scheme rather than subvented is because of Hong Kong government policy. As a consequence, the ESF has to keep separate accounts for the two new schools and the investment is treated as a loan that will eventually be repaid. However, in all other respects these are ESF schools.

In the 1980s, the ESF opened two new schools in the New Territories. At that time there was no need to make a loan, but the ESF took money out of its reserves and spent it on developing Sha Tin College and Sha Tin Junior School, rather than spending it on its existing schools.

As the parent of a child who attended the junior school, and is now in Sha Tin College, I am grateful that the ESF took the long-term view and invested in opening these two schools.

You reported that the core of the "concerned parents" group are parents of children at these two Sha Tin schools ("Parents disappointed as ESF rejects freeze on fees", October 31). I wonder if any of them can see the irony of the position they are taking.

Chris Tringham, Sha Tin

The price of duty [Heather du Quesnay in the SCMP]

ESF's decision to fund two private schools was made with the children and their family in mind
Heather Du Quesnay Dec 09, 2010
There is a curious irony running through the parallel education stories the SCMP has recently featured. One group of schools, in the direct subsidy scheme, has been criticised for misusing funds intended for education by investing in property or risky stocks and shares. Another group, the English Schools Foundation, has been excoriated by a small number of parents for spending its cash on education for children other than their own. To be clear, with the money that is under dispute, the ESF has built new schools offering more than 3,000 places to Hong Kong children whose parents desperately wanted high-quality, English-medium education for their kids. The decisions are 10 years old, and a little history is required. In the late-1990s/early-2000s, Hong Kong was recovering from an economic slump and business was beginning to boom again, a time not unlike today. Chinese families that had spent time overseas to establish residency were returning, bringing with them formidable entrepreneurial skills and children who had forgotten or never learned how to write Chinese characters. New businesses were beginning to move into Hong Kong, lured by the opportunities opened up by a smoother reunification than anyone had dared hope. The pressure for places in English-medium schools was building. At that time, the ESF offered only 11,000 places, compared with the nearly 16,000 (including those in the private independent schools) we have today. There was a need of another kind, too, when in late 2001 the Canadian Overseas International College (not connected with the present Canadian International School) failed, its proprietors fled and the government asked the ESF to take over the school at a week's notice, to safeguard the continuity of education for 380 children. The ESF's executive committee, which then served as its board, saw two things clearly: one was that it had a duty to save a school on which several hundred children depended, and the other was that the students could serve as the core of the new private independent school which it had won government support to sponsor. The school was duly taken over, housed as it was in a dilapidated building in Cheung Sha Wan and named Phoenix. The school thrived and in 2006 its students were transferred to new premises in Ma On Shan. Renaissance College was born. Likewise in 2002, confidence in the future led the ESF to establish a temporary primary school in an old government building in Kwai Chung. Bauhinia School had no government subvention but the executive committee planned, again with far-sightedness, to start a school whose students could form the core of the private independent school it was intending to open in Discovery Bay, again after winning government support for its proposal. And the funding? Well, the government played a part by making sites available for the two schools and paying part of the construction cost (HK$200 million for Renaissance and HK$142 million for Discovery College). But the ESF found the rest (HK$111 million and HK$168 million respectively). Was this the misuse of money that the concerned parents claim? Admittedly, these may not have been the smartest of investment decisions in terms of financial return. But the ESF was not set up to make a profit. We are an educational organisation with a passionate commitment to Hong Kong children. The executive committee of the late '90s saw a way to meet increasing demand and to serve the children of returning Chinese and Asian families and newly arriving businesspeople who would be at the heart of Hong Kong's next wave of prosperity. Every generation of children depends upon the spending decisions of their parents and grandparents. The children who are in our schools today are there only because in the past, the ESF saw fit to construct buildings for those schools, often funding them itself with the cash balances it had built up from the fees of the students then in the system. That is how the economy of education works - the lead-in times are long and an altruistic commitment to the future, to children not yet born, is essential. The deal with the private independent schools is that the schools will repay the ESF's share of the costs. It was recognised from the start that it would take several years before the schools would break even and that the financial return would have to be adjusted to avoid damaging the fledgeling institutions. But it was regarded as essential to establish the principle of repayment from the start and HK$41 million has already been repaid after just four years for Renaissance and three years for Discovery. Yes, the schools are making a loss, but that is being covered by other parts of the Educational Services budget, not by the ESF's subvented budget; the two are separate. As the student rolls build up, so the schools will be able to pay more back and we are confident that the total sum will be repaid within the 20-year period stipulated. If there were no Renaissance and no Discovery College, we would potentially have another 3,000 children on the waiting list to add to the 3,000 who applied for 1,200 places in Year One three months ago. Would that be a better situation for Hong Kong? As far as the ESF is concerned, while we recognise our financial responsibility to our parents and the absolute need to ensure that there is no cross-subsidy from subvented budgets, we see no difference between private independent school students and ESF students - they are all Hong Kong children. Once their parents entrust them to our schools, we owe them the same duty of care and we will not allow political sniping to distract us from the real job: educating the students. Heather Du Quesnay is chief executive officer of ESF [Comment]: Bit of dodgy maths, there, surely? The 3,000 pupils in Renaissance and Discovery wouldn't all be applying for Year One places in ESF junior schools at the same time, would they? There's also a slightly mysterious mention of "Education Services". I suppose Ms du Quesnay must be referring to ESF Educational Services, the wholly owned subsidiary of the ESF that operates the two PIS schools and the ESF kindergartens and provides sports and English language courses.

ESF muddies subsidy mission

Letters to the Editor - South China Morning Post - 8 December 2010

English Schools Foundation, as educational-services provider receiving government subsidies, should not spend money on private independent schools. The purpose of such subsidies is to provide education to the community, irrespective of wealth, through the organisations receiving the funding.

ESF has won a good reputation over the years and it is sad to learn that it has spent HK$278 million on private independent schools. One of the aims of private independent schools is to make a profit and, as a result, only those who can afford a much higher tuition fee can receive the education.

It is not appropriate for ESF to be involved in the private independent school business and if it insists on doing so, separate and independent accounts should be prepared and such documents should be audited by a third party for the sake of accountability.

Kung Hiu-tung, Tsuen Wan

[Comment: I really wonder why the SCMP publishes letters like this one. ESF Educational Services is a charity, its accounts are independently audited, and the fees charged are less than almost all other similar schools.]

ESF fees push affordable limits

South China Morning Post - 4 December 2010

Generally, I think that the focus on English Schools Foundation's scandalous investment decisions risks masking the larger point. The fee increases imposed by ESF mean that education is rapidly becoming unaffordable for many long-term residents of Hong Kong and for local families that hope for a good quality, liberal education for their children.

Unfortunately, the concerns of those affected are often dismissed as the whining of a bunch of rich gweilos. Yes, some ESF families are expatriates in the true sense, but most are with ESF because their employers will not pay international school fees. Indeed, there is growing anecdotal evidence that multinational companies are increasingly posting expatriates to Singapore rather than Hong Kong because of the lack of affordable school places here.

Yet many non-Chinese ESF families are long-term residents that own small businesses. They employ local people and account for a significant portion of the economy. They send their children to ESF schools because they cannot afford anything else. Many more ESF families are locals seeking a liberal education for their children because they realise that creativity, innovation and English-language skills will be critical for their success, and the education offered by more local institutions does not foster these attributes.

ESF management must be held to account for what they are doing with my school fees (and tax dollars). But the bottom line is that something must be done to ensure that education remains affordable.

I would ask that the government take a good, hard look at why the ESF exists and the many benefits it brings to the community. If an increase in the subvention is politically impossible, it could at least consider tax deductions for school fees. Financial support for building upgrades and even expansion should also be considered, possibly in the form of interest-free loans.

Laurel Dillon, Pok Fu Lam

Parents disappointed as ESF rejects freeze on fees

Sunday Morning Post - October 31 2010

Simon Parry

The chief executive of the English Schools Foundation (ESF) has ruled out a freeze on fees at a meeting with a group of parents protesting over sharp rises in schooling costs and the introduction of a HK$25,000 refundable deposit.

ESF chief executive Heather Du Quesnay told members of the Concerned Parents Group, who have called for a freeze on pay rises and a suspension of the HK$25,000 capital levy, she could not agree to their demands at a meeting last week.

One of the association's leading members, Dr Hans Ladegaard, said he was 'disappointed and disillusioned' with the way the meeting had gone.

'There was a lot of talk but nothing was accomplished,' he said. The group now wants talks with the ESF board and legislators to take their complaints further.

Seven group members with children in the ESF's Sha Tin College and Sha Tin Junior School attended the meeting to air concerns after the ESF imposed rises totalling 29 per cent for primary school and 19 per cent for secondary schools in the past five years.

Ladegaard has claimed parents are struggling to meet rising ESF fees, and that some expatriates had been forced to take their children out of school and leave Hong Kong because education costs were no longer affordable.

Fees for ESF primary schools have gone from HK$47,300 a year to HK$61,000 in the past five years while secondary school fees have risen from HK$78,600 to HK$93,500. A new HK$25,000 refundable levy will also be imposed from the next academic year.

Government subvention for ESF schools has been frozen for the past decade, so that each ESF secondary school pupil received a subsidy of HIK$28,927 in the past academic year compared to HK$41,270 for children at indirect subsidy secondary schools.

Du Quesnay, who met parents accompanied by two other ESF officials, said: 'The parents wanted me to promise that there would be no further fee increases and that they would be able to stay in Hong Kong with their children. I am not in a position to do that.

'The future of any family in Hong Kong can be decided only by the family itself. As far as ESF is concerned, I told them that fees will be reviewed every year by the board and it is for the board to make the decision about any increase or otherwise, taking into account all of the relevant factors.'

Du Quesnay indicated that the ESF board was unlikely to agree to meet the parents' group. 'I did say I would ask the board if they wished there to be a further meeting, but the board has discussed the Concerned Parents' [earlier] letter at some length.

'It was the board and the Committee of Parents who suggested the meeting that has just been held. I was there as the board's representative, not as an individual.'

Du Quesnay described the meeting, held at the Baptist University staff quarters in Sha Tin, as 'constructive' and 'courteous' and said: 'We explained our strategy on trying to secure the recurrent subvention, answered a large number of questions and promised to get back to them ... with answers to detailed questions which we do not carry in our heads.'

However, Ron Abbott, chairman of the Overseas Inspectors Association and an ESF parent who has raised questions over the way the ESF board is run, said parents who attended had expressed 'extreme frustration' to him afterwards.

Abbott, who did not attend - saying that he knew from previous meeting with Du Quesnay that it would be 'next to useless' - said: 'The consultation ended up typically as 'her way or the highway'.'

Abbot said parents had been asked by Du Quesnay not to speak to the press after the meeting. 'If the ESF management team has nothing to hide, why do they fear the attention of our legislators and the press?' he asked.

Going up

In the past five years, ESF fees have increased 19 per cent for secondary schools and, for primary schools,: 29%

End this ESF dispute and seek a better deal

Leader - South China Morning Post - Friday October 1 2010

Peace, it seems, did not break out for long at the English Schools Foundation, which provides the education of choice for an increasing number of ethnic Chinese as well as expatriate parents. Rises in fees that are becoming annual events, and a HK$25,000 capital levy on new pupils and those graduating to secondary level, have strained relations with parents. Now they have deteriorated, with two parent action groups snubbing management and taking their concerns to lawmakers. Reforms under new ESF leadership to clean up corporate governance resolved conflicts with the government and parents. They were also supposed to make management more accountable. But the ESF Concerned Parents Group and the Overseas Inspectors Association - speaking for police with more than 250 children at the foundation's schools - say this is not the case. The foundation's governing board is accused of failing to communicate with parents for two years and ignoring calls for an end to fee rises. The parents' group says a fee increase, the levy and an attempt to change the school calendar have been introduced without warning. Moreover, parent members of the ESF's governing board are allowed to speak but not vote on financial matters, even though parents provide 70 per cent of revenue. The police officers' association says a clause in the code of conduct for members of the governing board stifles dissent and communication with parents. The perception of lack of communication, transparency and accountability must be tackled, though ESF chief executive Heather Du Quesnay has strenuously defended the board. It is important that relations with disaffected parents are repaired. It would help if their representatives agree to meet Du Quesnay again and are given a full hearing. There is, after all, a need for parents and ESF management to pull together and face a broader problem faced by the foundation. The increasing cost to parents reflects the fact that the government subsidy to the ESF, currently about 20 per cent of total income, has been frozen - thus effectively declining - for a decade. While this remains the case, more fee rises seem inevitable, with costs getting closer to those at private international schools. The subsidy has been a politically sensitive subject ever since former education chief Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung threatened to end it unless the foundation reformed its governance. Even though it has now done so, the foundation appears reluctant to open negotiations about the subsidy in the absence of any indication officials would be sympathetic. It should not need to fear such a move. Given the persistent but mistaken perception, rooted in the colonial past, that ESF schools are only for privileged expatriate families, any significant rise in the subsidy would raise questions of social equity. But those questions would be misplaced. In fact, a majority of ESF students are now permanent residents and more than half are ethnic Chinese. As a result, the schools are not unlike other direct subsidy schools. The ESF has the same case for consideration of a higher subsidy as other school sponsoring bodies. The foundation should certainly be inclusive and transparent when justifying rising fees and charges with parents. But both sides should also have an eye on the bigger picture. Having put its governance house in order, the ESF is entitled to expect more financial support from the government. If that was provided, the pressure for fee rises would decline. It is, therefore, in the interests of all concerned to settle the dispute swiftly and unite in seeking a better deal from the government.

Colonial administration's departure raises question over the need for the ESF

Another letter from Pierce Lam in Education Post today

James Middleton's "Talk of unfair subvention for ESF ignores the fact HK has two official languages" (Education Post, November 15) is a hodgepodge of out-of-context quotes and turgid digressions.

He referred to Fernand de Varennes' interpretation of the Belgian case. In Belgium, a bilingual country, French residents in a Dutch territory have no right to French education and likewise for Dutch in a French territory.

Varennes noted that the monolingual language territories served "purposes of public schooling" and that they were not "arbitrary". Thus, he concurred that "the right to education is confined to the right of access to educational establishments existing at a given time".

To apply the Belgian case's principle in Hong Kong, the relevant question is whether the English Schools Foundation serves Hong Kong's "purposes of public schooling".

The ESF was established not for public schooling purposes but for serving British administrators who did not want their children in public English-medium schools together with local students.

After the departure of colonial administrators, what are the grounds for the ESF's subsidised existence? The Belgian and Cyprus cases are about citizens not being provided with schooling in their native languages.

The ESF contention is not about English-speaking Hong Kong citizens not being provided with public English-medium education. It is about whether expatriates should be separately provided with an exclusive system of English-medium schools.
The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities states that minorities' right to education is "fully realised if they acquire a proper knowledge of their mother tongue during the educational process", and given this right, "minorities have a responsibility to integrate into the wider national society through the acquisition of a proper knowledge of the state language".

For the purpose of social integration, Cantonese, and not Putonghua, is the effective state language. The ESF completely neglects integration. It arbitrarily differentiates its English-medium education from that offered in local public schools.

The ESF Ordinance, interpreted in the context of the Basic Law (Article 39), requires the ESF to offer English-medium education to those who "can benefit from it" without discrimination on language grounds.

Consider the ESF's admission policy, which gives priority to "children who speak English as a first or alternative language but do not speak Cantonese and/or read and write Chinese characters". This is blatant language discrimination and is unlawful.

Expatriates vehemently defend the ESF's subvention because it affords them a privileged education that resembles, in the words of one private international schoolteacher, "an extended five-star vacation". With the ESF's migration to the International Baccalaureate programme, ESF students now evade the competition of public examinations.

There are allegations that local schools reject non-Cantonese speakers. In fact, local schools are open to expatriates. I have met non-Cantonese-speaking expatriates' children in local schools on Hong Kong Island.

The ESF's language discrimination undermines Hong Kong's public education on equality and social responsibility. In ESF schools on Hong Kong Island, where most expatriates live, there are hardly any Cantonese-speaking students.

The ESF admits Cantonese-speaking students mainly for satisfying regulatory requirements regarding enrolment numbers.

Mr Middleton talked about paying HK$25,000 a month for his children at ESF. Indigenous residents have to pay many times that amount to send their children to private international schools across district or abroad, simply because they are Cantonese-speaking.

In terms of social contribution, expatriates are the modern-day equivalent of Chinese railroad builders in 19th century North America. They have come and stayed because Hong Kong is the best, if not the only, place for the use of their talents. We don't need expatriates as 21st century colonialists with anachronistic privileges.
Hong Kong cannot depend on the presence of expatriates to distinguish itself from other Chinese cities. We must equip our native children with an international education so that they can serve China's need for international talent.

Mr Middleton is right that we have a lot to learn from Singapore, a truly multicultural country. However, in demographic profile, Hong Kong is homogenous, like Taipei. In the long run, numbers and Hong Kong's China connection will prevail. To prepare for the challenges ahead, we must start with education.

PIERCE LAM, Central

Comment: He really doesn't like the ESF, doesn't he? I wonder if he feels the same way about the (Royal) Hong Kong Jockey Club or the many other Hong Kong institutions that were set up before 1 July 1997?

There were a series of letters earlier this year claiming that the ESF discriminates against Cantonese speakers, and Heather du Quesnay eventually wrote in to explain the true position. I have a simple challenge for Mr Lam - compare the percentage of children in ESF schools who have one or more parents who are Hong Kong Chinese with the percentage of children in local schools who have one parent who is non-Chinese. Then tell us what conclusion you should draw from this.

Here's a clue: local parents choose ESF schools because they feel their children will get a better education; most expats have no other choice.

Talk of unfair subvention for ESF ignores the fact HK has two official languages

[from Education Post Mailbag - 15 November 2008]

Recently we saw yet another letter from Pierce Lam slamming the ESF's government subvention ("We need school system that is fair for all", South China Morning Post, November 7).

It appears Mr Lam has a serious chip on his shoulder about the ESF and colonialism in general. In a letter to Time magazine, he wrote: "A city can never be great if the majority of its population is taught that everything good is foreign. The cosmopolitan city glamorised in your report is a city of cultural orphans brainwashed into becoming submissive to myriad foreign cultures that have been filtered through a colonial sieve."

As a parent with three children at ESF schools it costs me HK$25,000 a month to educate my children. That sum will increase when the other two move to college from junior school. All my children were born in Hong Kong.

Mr Lam insinuates "ESF's admission policy explicitly discriminates against Cantonese speakers. Cantonese speakers have only a token presence in ESF schools". Hogwash. I suggest he stands outside Sha Tin Junior School and college when the schools close for the day and plays "spot the gweilo" among the sea of Asian student faces, most of whom speak Cantonese at home.

The ESF is a foundation based on statute. Its objectives are to own, manage, administer and operate schools offering, without regard to race or religion, a modern liberal education through the medium of the English language to boys and girls who are able to benefit from such an education. The medium of instruction is specifically enshrined within the laws of Hong Kong.

He refers to a judgment 40 years ago: "In a Belgian linguistics case (1968), a European court held that `the right to education does not mean the right to be provided education in a language of the parent's choice and the right to education is confined to the right of access to educational establishments existing at a given time'."

What he deliberately omits is the fact that Hong Kong has two official languages, English and Chinese, and that they are spoken throughout Hong Kong and the local business world. In Belgium, whose official languages are Dutch and French, there were in 1968 specific unilingual areas where people spoke either French or Dutch, but not both. Legco studied this judgment and it can be found at www.legco.gov.hk/yr06-07/english/bc/bc52/papers/bc520228cb2-1152-2-e.pdf

Moreover, here is a link to The Right to Education and Minority Language by Fernand de Varennes. He discusses the Belgian and Cyprus cases in a modern day interpretation of the 40-year-old judgment: www.eumap.org/journal/features/2004/minority_education/edminlang

This learned lecturer opined: "Until recently, particularly in Europe, there has been the widespread - and mistaken - belief that there is absolutely no right to education in a minority language under traditional human rights treaties ... Many have referred to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in the Belgian Linguistic Case [6] as concluding that the state has the absolute and unqualified right to determine the official language of instruction in public schools and denied that a right to education in a particular language existed under Article 2 of Protocol (the right to education), even in combination with the prohibition of discrimination (article 14).

"This interpretation is, in fact, an incorrect reading of the decision, since what the European Court actually said was that, given the social and political context at the time in Belgium, the overall linguistic regime, which mainly included monolingual Dutch (and French) language territories for purposes of public schooling, was not arbitrary and therefore was not discriminatory."

Mr Lam states: "The World Economic Forum's global competitiveness report 2005/06 shows that Hong Kong is 28th - below Taiwan (fifth), Singapore (sixth) and South Korea (17th) - partly because of government inadequacy in handling matters impartially ... Subvented ESF schools offer new immigrants who are native-English-speakers unquestioned admission at the expense of native students. Withdrawal of the ESF's subvention will improve Hong Kong's competitiveness by making it a fairer place. In Singapore all children are taught in English in primary school and at the next levels with their mother-tongue teaching in Chinese, Malay or Tamil ranked second." I suggest he does a Wikipedia search on education in Singapore.

"Immigrants", as he calls us, can only come here if they have a talent not locally available and beneficial to Hong Kong society. He also omits the rights of locally born children.
Hong Kong-born children of permanent and tax-paying residents of any ethnic race should be entitled to education in either of the two official languages here with the same subventions as provided to DSS schools.

The ESF provides a valuable and necessary service in this "Asia World City".

JAMES MIDDLETON, Yuen Long

We need school system that is fair for all

[SCMP Letters page November 7th]

ESF review highlights need for new direction" (Editorial, October 25), misleadingly alleges that the ESF subvention makes ESF schools "affordable to many Chinese middle-class families". Hong Kong's middle-class Chinese families are predominantly Cantonese-speaking but the ESF's admission policy explicitly discriminates against Cantonese speakers.

Without equal right of admission, Cantonese speakers have only a token presence in ESF schools. The proposed withdrawal of funding will help eliminate language-based privileges without compromising a child's "right to a subsidised education". In a Belgian linguistics case (1968), a European court held that "the right to education does not mean the right to be provided education in a language of the parent's choice and the right to education is confined to the right of access to educational establishments existing at a given time".

Hong Kong's public education, which includes English- and Chinese-medium schools, is open to all applicants. There is neither legal nor moral obligation for Hong Kong to subsidise a separate English-medium schools system especially for non-Cantonese speaking students.
The funding perpetuates shameful privileges which induce cultural divisiveness rather than diversity. It enables ESF teachers to enjoy higher pay and ESF students, better facilities than their counterparts in non-ESF schools. As all ESF schools have shifted to the International Baccalaureate programme, the funding promotes an exclusive qualification (IB diploma), which students in local schools have no access to through public exams.

The World Economic Forum's global competitiveness report 2005-06 shows that Hong Kong is 28th - below Taiwan (fifth), Singapore (sixth) and South Korea (17th), partly because of "government inadequacy in handling matters impartially".

These Asian countries are competitive without offering privileged education to non-residents. Subvented ESF schools offer new immigrants who are native English-speakers unquestioned admission at the expense of native students. Withdrawal of the ESF's subvention will improve Hong Kong`s competitiveness by making it a fairer place.

To become socially relevant in the post-colonial era, the ESF must take effective measures to implement a fair and open admission policy even if it is allowed to turn its schools private and operate without subvention.

Pierce Lam, Central

ESF fees increase - a letter to the SCMP

This is a letter that was sent to the SCMP by James Middleton. Only part of it was published, and I have placed brackets [] round the parts that were cut:

ESF schools suffering

According to the ESF accounts 2005-6 in 2003-4 the ESF educated 6,007 Primary and 5,782 secondary students.(11,789)

In 2005-2006 they educated 6,444 primary and 6,260 secondary students. (12,704) By now this is probably an increase of 1,000 children being educated by ESF since 2003-4. Many more sit on the waiting list - there is huge demand. To any sensible Government this shows that there is a significant need to provide additional assistance to the growth of the organisation in this 'World City' whilst ensuring the excesses of the past do not re-occur [such as buying property at the property market peak for the former chief executive because she did not like the one she was housed in].

However the current accounts show the opposite, a drop in subvention as a result of the Government freezing the number of classes it subvents and reducing the subvention per class by 1.8% from the 1999/2000 level with effect from September 2003, 4.8% from January 2004, 6.44% from April 2004,9.572% from April 2005 and 12.372% from April 2006 (all figures cumulative).

In an interview with Arthur Li in 1998 (the enlightening interview in full is at www.asian-affairs.com) whilst he was then the Vice Chancellor of the Chinese university he stated:

[The SCMP version of the letter includes only a very brief summary of this interview:

Professor Li said he kept telling the government that education was an investment. He pointed out that Hong Kong had no natural reserves, only people. If we did not invest in them and did not train them to be more competitive, we would not survive. ]

[" The Financial Secretary thinks he is being prudent keeping the money. My view is that Hong Kong must invest in the future. My colleagues and I keep telling the government that education must not be looked at as an expenditure. It is an investment. In Hong Kong, we don’t have any natural reserves, no oil, no gold mines, we have only people. If we don’t invest in them, make them better trained, more competitive, more suitable for a global economy, we are not going to survive. Hong Kong will just become another city in China! So keeping the money is one thing, but it is not an end in itself. The government has to use it not only for the rainy days but for our future. " ]

I presume that Mr Li included native English speakers in his above quote. He goes on to say:

[The problem in the Civil Service is the lack of talent. Before 1997, many of the very able senior civil servants left the administration, either because they didn’t get on with (the last governor) Chris Patten or they worried about immigration or their future. If you look at the present top civil servants, they have all been promoted extremely rapidly through the ranks. They don’t have a great deal of experience in dealing with problems . This is why, for example, the handling of the chicken flu was a disaster. Many problems are dealt with by young people who are learning on the job rather than by experienced people. Young people are sensitive to criticism. When you try to be helpful the Civil Service thinks that it is under attack. So it puts up the shutters, it doesn’t want to know. It doesn't listen. This is rather sad.

Q.- Is inexperience the only problem of the Civil Service? A.L.- No. There is also a great deal of inefficiency. So on the one hand you want to support the government very much, on the other hand you see that it is really bumbling around. It is very sad, because if you stand up and criticize its lack of action or its policies, you are considered a bad guy. >From that moment on, it won’t listen to whatever you say. If you don’t stand up, it thinks it is doing all right. So what happens is that the government likes to surround itself with people who think it is doing all right, without even listening to those who could come forward with different ideas. "

Q.- As a measure to fight unemployment among the young the government has announced that the tertiary institutions will take an additional one thousand students. Isn’t it a positive measure ?

A.L.- It is a complete U-turn. Last year, we put to the government that we needed an additional one thousand students, to train them for specific purposes like becoming teachers, electronic engineers and so on having in mind that we need to develop high-added value industries. Our request was rejected. Now, because of the economic crisis, the government suddenly comes back to us saying; “now you take on an additional one thousand students, but we have no money for you”.

Q.- Is the cost very high? A.L.- For the government, it is not much. But it is typical. The government may be working very hard, but there is no communication with us. We don't understand what is going on . Why can't it come out and tell us: “this is for the future of Hong Kong, this concerns all of us, we are looking into these possibilities, and we ruled out these possibilities, or we think this one is the best one”. But the government does not share the information.

Of course, in the past, the colonial system has been very high handed, but that style of government has to change. "]

[High handed ? The pot calling the kettle black.] I note Arthur Li was educated at St. Paul's Co-educational College . It is operated under the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS), and was the first subsidised school to join the scheme. I agree with him that Government needs to invest in our people through their education , including those whose mother tongue is English without discrimination and they need to look at increased investment in the ESF not as expenditure but as an important part of the future of Hong kong.

Arthur needs to remember his words spoken before he joined Government and act upon them now he is in the hot seat.

James Middleton

From today's SCMP:

Parents are concerned at increase in ESF fees Tuition rise hard on families, father says
LIZ GOOCH

Parents expressed concern yesterday after the ESF announced student fees would increase in August.

Annual fees for English Schools Foundation primary students will rise more than 5 per cent to HK$54,300, while secondary school fees will increase almost 3 per cent to HK$85,000.

Glyn Davies, who has two children at ESF secondary schools, said it appeared the money would be put to good use but he said some families, especially those with many children, struggled to afford the tuition.

"There's certainly no let-up as far as parents are concerned with the increased costs of an ESF education," he said.

The chairwoman of the Joint Council of Parent Teacher Associations, Jane Tracy, said that while she thought the rise was fair, parents were concerned about the affordability of ESF schools. "They are concerned about value for money and affordability," she said, adding that parents would be pleased they were getting more information about how their money was being spent.

The latest rise comes after fees were increased from HK$47,300 for primary and HK$78,600 for secondary in 2005-06 to HK$51,500 and HK$82,600 in 2006-07. Before 2005, fees had remained unchanged since 2001-02.

Parents were informed in a letter from chief executive Heather Du Quesnay, which was sent out yesterday and on Thursday.

Ms Du Quesnay said ESF fees still compared favourably to other international schools.
"We need a little more money to ... improve the quality of education and also to attend to our physical infrastructure," she said.

Major buildings projects were planned and building repairs were needed at ESF schools, which cater to more than 12,600 students, Ms Du Quesnay said.

"We don't pretend that these are not significant amounts of money for some parents but in the great scheme of things ... it's not really a huge amount of money for many people, but for some it will be difficult," she said, adding that financial assistance was available.

The letter said reasons for the increase included the need to employ more educational assistants and higher education guidance counsellors, increase investment in Chinese teaching and make funding available to all secondary schools for business manager positions.

However, this failed to satisfy parent Chris Tringham. "I think a lot of parents are willing to pay as long as they're seeing where the money is going," he said. "It's just a concern that every year they will keep increasing the fees."

The increase is subject to approval by the Education and Manpower Bureau.

In March, the ESF announced that parents would have to pay a deposit equivalent to the September fees to confirm their children would return after the summer holidays.
Hong Kong International School will increase fees by 3 per cent for all students in the new academic year, taking fees for Reception One to HK$137,200. Grade 12 fees will increase to HK$157,100.

The Australian International School increased its fees in January. Fees at the Delia School of Canada will remain unchanged in the next academic year, while the German Swiss International School is yet to confirm its charges.

For the record, what I actually said to Liz Gooch was that fee increases will have a big impact on parents with more than one child in ESF schools, and that we want to see an explanation of the ESF budget. I know she was trying to contact Alex Chiu, but it seems that she was not able to reach him in time.

Fee increase confirmed

FRom the ESF:

The Executive Committee of the English Schools Foundation (ESF) have considered recommendations made to them by ESF’s Finance Committee preparatory to reaching a decision on the level of school fees for the 2007-08 academic year. The discussion was a long one because the Executive Committee were acutely aware of parents’ concerns about a fee increase – these were highlighted by the Chairman of the JCPTA, among others. However, the Committee believe they have a duty to strike a balance between maintaining affordability and ensuring that ESF schools continue to offer an excellent education.

Bearing in mind the investments required in both physical infrastructure and the quality of teaching and learning, we have determined that fees need to increase to the following levels with effect from August:
Primary – HK$54,300 ($5,430 x 10 months) – an increase of 5.44%Secondary – HK$85,000 ($8,500 x 10 months) – an increase of 2.91%

These fees are subject to approval by the Education and Manpower Bureau.

Fees will rise

The ESF Executive committee met on 24 April, and have confirmed that there will be fee increases again this year (minutes of the meeting on the ESF website here). The exact figures have not been announced.

According to the minutes, a letter will be sent to parents explaining the need for an increase, and a reply will also be sent to Parents for ESF.

Fee increase?

Parents for ESF are concerned about a possible fee increase:

The ESF plans to raise school fee again in Sep07.

The ESF had an annual surplus of HK$26m in 2005-06 and projected HK$40m in 2006-07. There was already large scale fee rise in Sep06.

There were fixed assets of HK$704m in 2005-06 (according to the ESF website).

We expect further significant expenditure reduction from efficiency cost saving / salary cut.

Therefore we do not see the justification for fee rise again. We sent a letter to ESF ExCom to express our view (attached). We encourage parents to express your views or offer any suggestion (you might use this as a forum) on this issue which has great impact to most ESF families, so that these could be reflected before ESF's final decision.

Parents for ESF

This is the letter:

Dear members of the Executive Committee

We note that fee levels were discussed at the Executive Committee meeting on 27th March and, although understanding that a final decision has yet to be made on this issue, are concerned about the possibility that fee levels might rise in the 2007/08 school year.

The members of our group are receiving a number of queries from parents. Several areas of concern are beginning to emerge. These can be summarised as follows:

► whether with the ESF’s assets and income a fee increase is necessary this year; and

► what other funding options are being explored by the ESF.

In order that we have an understanding of some of the contextual issues, might we be permitted to enquire about the following:

1 What proportion of the ESF’s fixed assets of $M 704 in 2005/06 were property assets and how much annual income do these generate for the ESF?

2 Following the fee rise in 2006/07 and the expected drop in staff costs during the same year, what is the projected surplus for 2006/07?

3 What other funding opportunities is the ESF exploring to fund its major building projects?

4 Is the ESF making use of capital grants from the government? And what is the basis for the remark in the ESF Annual Report that government assistance with building projects is “less likely to happen in the future”?

5 What is the level of government subvention for 2007/08 and does this represent a similar level to last year?

6 What is the ESF doing to restore the principle of parity?

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Yours sincerely

Parents for ESF
Alex Chiu (SJS), Stephen Fong (SIS), Sarah Rigby (QBS), Ana Wei (SIS), Audrey Wong (KJS)

Some comments from parents:

I am most surprised to learn that ESF is considering raising school fees again this year after a substantial rise of school fee last year! ESF is already having surplus so there is no reason at all for raising shcool fee. As for big projects like building new schools ESF should seek alternate funding rather than rely on raising school fees as this is unfair to parents of existing students.

I do believe school need to think whether the rising of school fee is reasonable and responsible to the majority, do think whether it is fair to parents or far away from the spirit of eduction, do hope the managment thinking of the necesary before coming to a decision.

I have 2 kids in ESF. I chose ESF for my kids, with reasons like some of you. After so many years, I viewed ESF as a big family, rather than an organisation, a service provider.I believe the kind of close and harmonious relationship with school and parents can provide the optimal and favorable circumstances to nuture our next generation, who are successful with achievement, alongside with character of integrity, honesty and being responsible to the community.

In the past 3 years, the audit report, the salary cut and the fee rise in 2006 (9 % rise without our notice), these series of event, all tossed up turbulence in ESF circle which has wounded our relationship.

Our feeling is hurt by knowing the possible fee rise again.

We are not convinced by Headquarter for another fee rise !!

Please voice out your opinion before it is too late!!

I am a parent from one of the ESF school in the N.T.

I know for sure that there are lots of mums like myself that volunteer every week at the school on regular basis.

So, actually the school is saving a lot on manpower which we don't mind to contribute.

And I have always felt that school, students and parents are like a community. But now after all these issues coming up, I don't feel confident and trust in the future with the ESF.

Now, I feels that ESF are becoming more and more selfish and too greedy.

Another thing, most of the new teachers are from Australia and New Zealand. I am not trying to be prejudice but I assume that it cost cheaper for the ESF to recruit from these countries. May be we should ask for a good explanation and clarification about that.

Legco Education Panel discusses the new ordinance

[From Alex Chiu Chi-Suen of Parents for ESF] The Education Panel meeting on the new ordinance was held on 22 March. It went well. The only Legco member who mentioned the Subvention issue was Cheung Man-kwong - and he thinks it is justified / fair for ESF students to have similar level of subvention compared with local school students once the new ordinance has been passed and ESF reform has been successfully completed.

The SCMP also had a report from its education correspondent:

Chief vows ESF will keep tight rein on spending
LIZ GOOCH

The makeup of the English Schools Foundation's board of governors and the organisation's auditing system were among issues raised yesterday when lawmakers discussed amendments to the ESF's Ordinance bill.

The bill, which contains substantial changes to the ESF's governance, will be proposed as a private members' bill by Abraham Razack, legislator for the real estate and construction sector.

The bill will replace the ESF's 130-member foundation and executive committee with a 25-member board of governors. The board will consist of 10 independent members, seven parents, three ESF staff representatives, three school council members and two legislators.

At the meeting of Legco's education panel, accounting sector legislator Mandy Tam Heung-man asked how ESF management would prevent a repeat of the excess spending that had occurred in the past, such as seafood banquets. ESF executives made headlines in 2004 when they tried to claim a lunch bill that included oysters and wine.

The foundation's chief executive, Heather Du Quesnay, said the organisation was in the process of implementing an internet-based financial system that would show how schools spent their budgets.

"We're very strict over things like expenses," she said. "You can't put through a claim for expenses that you're not entitled to." She said the ESF hoped to do an internal audit of schools every two years.

Social welfare legislator Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung questioned why the new board would not include a position for parents of children with special needs. Ms Du Quesnay said the board and school councils would be encouraged to invite experts as the need arose.

Catering sector legislator Tommy Cheung Yu-yan, who is a foundation member, called for the positions allocated for Legco members to be given to stakeholders more closely related to the ESF. He said he was unable to attend many meetings because of other commitments.

But a parent representative, Alex Chiu Chi-Suen, said he hoped the board would include Legco members. "It's about monitoring the work of ESF because the ESF gets a subvention and Legco members are well-respected and they would act as independent monitors."

ESF chairman Felice Lieh Mak said the organisation hoped the bill, which was formulated after the Public Accounts Committee called for reform of its governance in 2005, could be passed as soon as possible.

"ESF bullies"

There's a letter in today's Education Post complaining about ESF plans to collect fees for the summer term in advance:

ESF bullies ignore struggling parents

The English Schools Foundation has revealed its latest bullying tactics ("ESF clamps down on summer exodus", Education Post, March 24).

Many thanks to Heather Du Quesnay and Chris Forse for a new stab in the back, as usual introduced without agreement from the parents. Many hard-working families who struggle to pay the high fees may be forced to forfeit their summer holidays in order to deposit their hard-earned money in the ESF's fat bank account in advance.

Ms Du Quesnay states that 170 students lost over summer is a "huge loss". Nonsense. With 12,000 students, that represents 1.4 per cent. There are two disturbing points to mention:

* Many families survive on large education subsidies from their companies, paid at the start of each term. Companies will not bring forward the subsidies to June, causing hardship.

* The ESF obviously presumes fewer empty seats will mean more fees and therefore more income. Will the school fees be reduced then? Will parents see the interest from the extra $75 million that will sit in the ESF's bank account all summer?

Parents should be given the financial facts to choose whether to maintain the current fee schedule or pay September's fees in advance and receive a discount.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

Comment: I don't always agree with Heather du Quesnay, but this does seem to make sense. Other fee-paying schools in Hong Kong work in a similar way (and/or require parents to buy debentures), and as the ESF is a non-profit organization, the interest earned and extra revenue (from operating at capacity) must surely translate into lower fees or better services.

Parents who are lucky enough to have fees paid for them could surely ask their employers to pay the September fees in June.

As for letting parents decide, I believe this has been discussed with the JCPTA, and full consultation with parents would be time-consuming and expensive - and would most likely produce the same result.

ESF announces scheme for companies to pre-book places

From the ESF site:

English Schools Foundation (ESF) announces surety scheme for international employers)

In response to concerns about a shortage of international school places in Hong Kong, ESF has introduced a new scheme to enable companies to secure school places for expatriate employees before their arrival in Hong Kong. The scheme runs from 2 April until 30 June and allows an employer to secure places for the children of incoming employees for the next school year – subject to availability.

“Until now, parents could only apply for places at ESF schools once they had arrived in Hong Kong,” explained Chris Forse, Head of Parent and Student Services at ESF. “This added to the stress of relocating. Where places are available, an employer will now be able to remove that uncertainty.”

The Corporate Surety is a non-refundable payment equivalent to a maximum of three months’ school fees (if paid in April) or a minimum of one month’s fees (if paid in June). If a place is available in the required year group and in the relevant school zone, it may be booked ahead of an expatriate family taking up residence in Hong Kong during the summer months. Children are required to pass a language test upon arrival in Hong Kong.

It's also in today's SCMP (Companies to pre-book places at ESF schools)