| Type | Non-profit organisation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong |
| Key people | Mrs. Heather Du Quesnay[1] |
| Products | See list of schools |
| Revenue | Not applicable |
| Website | http://www.esf.edu.hk/ |
| Education in Hong Kong |
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Pre-school Education |
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English Schools Foundation |
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Geography - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal |
The English Schools Foundation (Chinese: 英基學校協會, abbreviated: ESF or 英基) is an organisation that runs 20 educational institutions, most of which are international schools, which are all located in Hong Kong. It is the largest international educational foundation in Asia[1][2] and was founded in 1967 as a direct result of an ordinance that started the foundation to provide a "modern liberal education" for expatriates in Hong Kong. Today, the ethnic groups of the foundations' students include local residents of Hong Kong, Europeans and other nearby Asian countries. At the same time, most of their students have parents who are permanent residents of Hong Kong. Its schools have traditionally provided a curriculum based on the British curriculum, but the organisation is undergoing a transition to a more international curriculum from the International Baccalaureate, starting with changing the Year 12 and 13 programme from the British GCSE A-Levels to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme from September 2007.
The foundation receives an ongoing subsidy (called the "subvention") from the Hong Kong Government as well as charging a substantial tuition fee to parents. In the 2007–2008 academic year, these fees stand at HK$61,000 per annum for primary school students and HK$93,000 per annum for Years 7-11secondary school students (HK$94,000 for Years 12 and 13).
Although all of the ESF schools are comprehensive and "non-selective" , students in the foundation have generally done well academically, 90% of their graduates going to different universities around the world.
The schools have progressively improved their facilities, especially in ICT with the help of donations from Parent Teacher Associations.
The current Chief Executive of the English Schools Foundation is Mrs. Heather Du Quesnay
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Unlike most other international schools in Hong Kong, schools run by the ESF receive an ongoing subsidy (called a 'subvention') from the Hong Kong Government. The reason for this is historical and lies in the foundation's statutory basis. Until recently, it was generally accepted that this subsidy was fair and that the foundation had a reason to be subsidised.
There has been some controversy regarding subsidies to the foundation. The fiscal deficit suffered by the Hong Kong Government following the Asian Financial Crisis forced the government to cut costs. There were also allegations that the foundation has misused funds on entertainment and over-extravagant recruitment procedures. A report criticising the ESF's use of funds was published by the Hong Kong Government in November 2004, resulting in a continuing debate about whether the subsidy should be cut or even suspended. The subvention was cut for several years in line with a general reduction in government expenditure and then frozen.
Those in favour of keeping the subsidy argue that:
Those who argue for the subsidy to be reduced further or stopped put forward several arguments:
The ESF has recently addressed concerns about governance by putting forward a new Ordinance that will change the way the organisation operates.
It is generally accepted that the government will not allow the ESF to expand any further under the existing subsidy arrangements. Future ESF schools will have to be under the "Private Independent School" scheme with no "subvention". One (Renaissance College) opened in Ma On Shan in August 2006 and Discovery College in Discovery Bay, which opened in August 2007.
ESF was established by government ordinance in 1967. There were then no amendments to the ordinance until 2008. Shortcomings in the governance of the organisation were highlighted by the Legislative Council Public Accounts Committee in January 2005.
The ESF carried out an extensive consultation process to produce an Amended Ordinance and Regulation, which provide for a number of changes to the governance and management of ESF. Some of these are in response to the shortcomings identified by the Public Accounts Committee. The most substantial changes are to the structure and composition of ESF's governing body and committees, including the creation of a new Board of Governors to replace the Foundation.
The new Ordinance was approved by Legco in April 2008 and came into effect shortly afterwards.
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