In response to media enquiries about the direct investigation report on Education Bureau (EDB)'s regulation of kindergarten application fees released by the Ombudsman, an EDB spokesman gave the following reply today (December 20):

     "Regarding the recommendations of the report, the EDB will take the following measures to vet and monitor more stringently the application fees of kindergartens:
 

1. To require kindergartens to formulate a clear mechanism and increase the transparency on the collection of application fees, as well as explain clearly to parents about the purpose of and rationale for the fees, and the services to be provided;
2. To follow up with the kindergartens approved to collect application fees exceeding the ceiling and request them to provide past records of income and expenditure relating to student admission for examination by the EDB and assessing the feasibility of reducing the approved amount;
3. To explore the feasibility of approving the collection of application fees with specified validity period instead of granting a one-off approval;
4. To follow up more stringently on the malpractices of kindergartens in connection with the collection of application fees; and
5. To draw up more detailed internal working guidelines as soon as possible and strengthen training for staff, such as in the skill of vetting financial reports, enabling staff to process the applications more effectively with more consistent criteria.

     Regarding the views that the current approved ceiling of $40 of the application fees is insufficient to cover the related expenses, the EDB will review the ceiling at an appropriate time and take appropriate follow-up actions.

     It must be made clear that all kindergartens are privately run and some of them are profit-making. Under the prevailing mechanism, private kindergartens, if not receiving subsidies from the EDB, are not required to submit reports of audited accounts or other financial information for scrutiny. Nonetheless, according to the Education Regulations, kindergartens must obtain prior approval of the EDB before collecting any fees. The EDB will strengthen the monitoring of the fees collected by kindergartens, request them to provide specific proof and documents on income and expenditure relating to student admission, and explore all other feasible measures permitted under statutory regulations."

Ends/Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Issued at HKT 21:10

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