Media Release – 25 July 2007
ATTN: NEWS / BUSINESS / EDUCATION EDITORS
AmCham Study Shows Urgent Need for International School Places
Calls for Prioritization and Streamlined Approvals Process
Waitlists for places at international schools in Hong Kong are real, and they are long, according to a study released today by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham).
Twelve International Schools that participated in the Study are urging the Hong Kong Government to place a higher priority on their requests for expansion, as well as to streamline the complicated approvals process through the setting up of a one-stop-shop mechanism. And they are asking for greater clarity and transparency in the application process involving additional space.
"The Study raised several issues that we have been aware of for some time now. Most important, it confirms the problem of school place shortages for international students. It also offers suggestions from schools on ways to help them expand their facilities. After all, who better to identify the impediments to efficient school expansion than the schools themselves?" commented Gary Clinton, AmCham Chairman for 2007.
International Schools are firmly woven into Hong Kong's cosmopolitan lifestyle. They are part of a broad range of educational choices available here -- attended alike by local students, returning Hong Kong citizens with dual passports, and "expats" from many countries.
But International Schools are not keeping up with the rate of expansion required to deal with the current influx of families with children seeking places in their schools, in particular in the primary schools, the Study says. This is partly a result of shrinking student turnover rates at International Schools and thus fewer places for children of rotating foreign staff.
Jack Maisano, AmCham President, said, "We recognize and appreciate the Hong Kong Government's willingness to engage on this issue, and to address the problems International Schools have in navigating up to 14 different government agencies in order to expand and meet the needs of growing expatriate student populations. A cosmopolitan hallmark of Hong Kong is that it has welcomed International Schools and allowed them to become part of the fabric of educational choices for Hong Kong people, as well as foreigners."
The 12 International Schools that were interviewed for the Study are requesting three changes from the Hong Kong Government:
• That requests to allow their schools to expand be given a higher priority;
• That there be a "one stop shop" within Government to help streamline the complicated approvals process;
• That the whole process of application for additional space be made clearer and more transparent.
International Schools are part of the "soft infrastructure" that defines Hong Kong as a world city, the Study says.
It concludes that long waitlists and frequent complaints from multinational companies and foreign chambers of commerce negatively impact Hong Kong's international competitiveness by discouraging companies from transferring their expatriate staff to Hong Kong.
The Study also presents a list of 17 initiatives suggested by the participating Schools, to help improve the process involving expansion. The initiatives would affect, in different ways, the four expansion options:
• Leasing commercial property
• Expanding on a current site
• Applying for a greenfield site
• Taking over an existing, decommissioned government property
AmCham formed an Education Task Force in October 2005 to review the issue of the lack of classroom space in International Schools, and highlighted this shortage as a key priority for 2007.
AmCham was invited by the Government's Business Facilitation Advisory Committee to look into the issues raised by International Schools in securing Government approval to expand, and to make a presentation to the committee, which took place on July 25, 2007.
The concept of this report grew out of requests by AmCham member companies and member schools to find more expeditious means for International Schools in Hong Kong to expand their facilities to meet the burgeoning need of incoming expatriates to find school places for their children. Commissioned researchers met with administrators from 12 of the most prominent International Schools that provide English-language education. Funding for this report was provided by corporate donors, including Lehman Brothers Asia Ltd., Barclays, Goldman Sachs Asia LLC, Morgan Stanley, Société Générale and an anonymous donor.
While AmCham is responsible for compiling the report, the views expressed therein are those of the participants in the study and do not necessarily represent the views of AmCham Hong Kong. The Study was done by commissioned researchers with funding provided by multinational companies operating in Hong Kong.

Read the full Survey here.
For inquiries, please contact AmCham's Press Affairs Manager, Ms Cecilia Szeto, on 2530-6915, or by email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .