Latest news with #ThinkInternationalSchool
South China Morning Post
30-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
International primary school in Hong Kong to return half of debentures ahead of closure
A Hong Kong international primary school which abruptly ceased operations will give back half of due debentures soon while honouring the other half next January in a proposal that parents have accepted, the Post has learned. The proposal by Think International School followed the institution's announcement last week that it would cease operations at the end of July and arrange meetings with parents at its campus on Saturday and Monday respectively. One father who attended the meeting on Monday told the Post that the school offered to return half of the debenture initially while its affiliated preschool, Think International Kindergarten, would subsidise the cost of the closure. He revealed that the roughly 15 parents who attended the meetings on Saturday and Monday all agreed on the school's proposal. 'It is better to get something now than end up getting nothing,' said the father, whose child graduated from the school in 2022. 'There is no guarantee [that they will return the remaining half]. They can shut down the kindergarten tomorrow, and we cannot do anything about it. But that is a risk that we have to take.'
South China Morning Post
30-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong primary school closure leaves 200 parents at risk of losing debentures
A private primary school in Hong Kong, which offers an international curriculum, has unexpectedly announced its closure at the end of July. This decision has left some parents concerned about whether they will receive the return of their debenture, valued at approximately HK$200,000 (US$25,500), as promised. A check by the South China Morning Post on Saturday found that the website of Think International School, founded in 2003, was no longer online. In an email sent to parents earlier this week and seen by the South China Morning Post, the private school on Boundary Street in Kowloon Tong said it would close down on July 31. It also conceded that it would not be able to pay back parents who were holding debentures in the near future. 'Since closing a school will involve a lot of unexpected expenses, we are not sure about the financial commitments involved in the coming months,' the email said. A parent who paid a HK$200,000 debenture, due to mature next Monday, was offered a cheque for HK$204,000 that would be available for collection on the day but could only be cashed on January 8 next year. 'The school obviously knew in advance it would close, but chose to hold that information until a few days before the debentures were due,' the parent told the South China Morning Post. Hong Kong primary schools to add more national security to English lessons 'By not giving parents their money back, they are skirting their obligation and responsibility. There is no guarantee that the cheque they want to issue for January 2026 will be honoured.' The Education Bureau said on Friday evening that it had not received any notice from Think International School regarding its decision to shut down but had contacted the institution to understand the situation. 'The bureau has asked the school to inform parents and authorities as soon as possible if there are any changes in its operations,' a spokesman said. 'The bureau has also urged the school to maintain sufficient communications with its stakeholders and return the debenture and related funds as soon as possible and ensure that [their] students' education is not affected.' It added that it would maintain close contact with the school and offer help to parents and students where needed. Authorities said they had only received the notice from the Mei Foo branch of Think International Kindergarten regarding its closure in April this year. A staff member of Think International School hung up the phone after the Post inquired on Friday about the institution's closure. Think International School, a private institution in Kowloon Tong, has said it will not be able to pay back parents who are holding debentures 'in the coming months'. Photo: Dickson Lee The number of pupils affected was not immediately clear. Think International School, which offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, charges pupils in classes up to Year Three an annual tuition fee of HK$126,000, and students in Year Four to Year Six HK$133,000, divided into 10 instalments per year. Hong Kong's school sector has experienced a significant loss in its student population in recent years, amid a low birth rate and an emigration wave, with Western countries such as Britain, Canada and Australia offering pathways to citizenship for Hongkongers in response to the Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020. In 2023, Tak Nga Primary School, a 63-year-old private school in Kowloon Tong, said it would wind up gradually by halting primary classes in the 2024-25 academic year before fully closing in 2028. It attributed its decision to the recent emigration wave and Hong Kong's falling birth rate.
South China Morning Post
28-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong primary school offering international programme announces sudden closure
A private primary school that offers an international curriculum in Hong Kong has abruptly announced its closure at the end of July, leaving some parents anxious about whether they can get back their debenture worth around HK$200,000 (US$25,500) as promised. A check by the Post on Saturday found that the website of Think International School, founded in 2003, was no longer online. In an email to parents earlier this week seen by the Post, the private school on Boundary Street in Kowloon Tong said it would close down on July 31. It also conceded that it would not be able to pay back parents who were holding debentures in the near future. 'Since closing a school will involve a lot of unexpected expenses, we are not sure about the financial commitments involved in the coming months,' the email said. A parent who paid a HK$200,000 debenture, due to mature next Monday, was offered a cheque for HK$204,000 that would be available for collection on the day but could only be cashed on January 8 next year.
