Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has said that educational standards “cannot be affected” amid a legal dispute between a Hong Kong international school and its US-based founder.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Lee said that the government would not comment on the dispute, as it “is now a sub judice matter” – meaning the case is currently before the court.
“But the government[‘s] position is very clear: the standard of education cannot be affected. Students’ rights cannot be affected. These two principles are the most important and have been duly relayed to the parties concerned,” he said.
‘Elite section’ of society
Hong Kong International School (HKIS) has been sued by its US-based founder, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS), for alleged financial mismanagement and serving a “small, elite section of Hong Kong,” which the church said went against the original agreement of being open to “all children” when the school was set up.
The American church, which is seeking nearly US$1.75 million (HK$13.63 million) from the international school, also alleged that it had continuously demanded payments from parents by regularly raising school fees and selling “priority access debentures.”
The church said that the legal dispute may result in the eviction of HKIS from its Repulse Bay campus, with a new school set up in its place, subject to the outcome of the lawsuit and approval from the Education Bureau.
Meanwhile, according to a parent-teacher group at HKIS, students are unlikely to be affected by the lawsuit.
“The Education Bureau will monitor [the situation] closely,” Lee said on Wednesday, adding that both students and parents should be regularly informed of the developments.
