Kindergartens succumb to hefty rents:

a case in point that the education policy is afflicted with all ills

租金長升長有,小商戶生意難做,連教書育人的幼稚園也不敵加租狂潮,接二連三被迫結業。港府學前教育政策混亂,加上地產獨大,幼稚園經營環境日益惡化。

一間在天水圍開辦二十一年的幼稚園下學年租約期滿,儘管校方願意加租七成,依然不敵另一間出價更高的幼稚園,家長要麼讓子女轉往其他分校就讀,要麼讓子女原址就讀新開辦的幼稚園。不管如何,孩子都要重新適應環境,影響學習。

隨着近年租金瘋漲,幼稚園被迫遷或結業的情形屢見不鮮。在現行學券制度下,港府按學生人數向非牟利幼稚園發放津貼,卻沒有提供辦學場地,大部分幼稚園只能租用私人物業,長年承受加租壓力。有幼稚園校長透露,不少業主覬覦學券制,一見學校收生旺場,立即大幅加租,學券的主要受惠者往往不是學生。

解除幼稚園後顧之憂的辦法不是沒有。有人算過,過去十年全港約八十間小學被殺校,只要港府把空置校舍讓給幼稚園使用,既為庫房節省大筆租金津貼,又為校方提供穩定的辦學場所,而且為未來推行免費學前教育鋪路,何樂而不為?

As the ever-increasing rents threaten the running of small businesses, kindergartens that serve to educate our young children are also forced to close down one after another. With the government's chaotic pre-primary education policy and a property market monopolized by developers, the operating environment for kindergartens keeps on deteriorating.

A kindergarten that has been established in Tin Shui Wai for 21 years will see its tenancy expire before the next term. Although the school is willing to add 70% to its original rent, it cannot rival another kindergarten that offers to pay an even higher rent. So now the parents have to either send their children to another branch of the original kindergarten, or enrol their kids in the new kindergarten in-situ. Whichever way it may turn out, the children will have to readapt to the new environment and their learning will be affected.

It has already become a common occurrence that kindergartens are forced to relocate or even fold under the pressure of crazy rental hikes. Under the present education voucher scheme, the government gives to non-profit kindergartens subsidies that reflect their enrolment, but no school premises are provided. Most of the kindergartens have to resort to renting private properties, and are thus always under rental pressure. According to some kindergarten principals, the property owners covet the education voucher scheme. Once they see the enrolment has increased, the property owners would jump to raise the rent by a wide margin. Most of the time, the main beneficiary of the education voucher is not the pupil.

There is in fact a solution to this problem. It has been estimated that, in the past 10 years, about 80 primary schools have closed. If the government lets kindergartens use these vacant campuses, not only a huge amount of subsidy from the public coffer can be saved, but kindergartens can also enjoy a stable operating environment. The measure can also pave the way for the implementation of free pre-primary education in the future. Should the government not only be too glad to do so?

重要生字

afflicted with all ills 千瘡百孔

become a common occurrence 屢見不鮮

pave the way 鋪路

第一手消息請下載on.cc東網iPhone/iPad/Android/Windows Phone Apps