After a hiatus of more than six years, education chiefs are set to resume talks with the English Schools Foundation over its funding.
The Education Bureau says now is 'an appropriate time' for a review of the ESF's subvention, which was withdrawn amid rancour over dysfunctional operational procedures and financial mismanagement.
The announcement was welcomed by chief executive Heather Du Quesnay and parents, who said they would fight for the subvention to be restored to its original level of parity with funding per student in government and aided schools.
'Given that the ESF has established its board of governors and various committees and has also by now put in place a series of reform measures under its governance structure, we consider that it is an appropriate time now to conduct the subvention review with the ESF,' the bureau's statement says. 'We would commence formal discussion with the ESF shortly and would work out the timetable with the ESF. The review will cover a number of areas including the ESF's role and positioning, its service targets, financial management and fee-related arrangements.
'We will take into account the series of governance and financial reform measures undertaken by the ESF since late 2008, and will review the education services currently provided by the ESF in examining whether the government should continue with the existing mode of subvention and other ... matters.'
The ESF's Du Quesnay said: 'We have been waiting for the government to start a review for a very long time. I didn't know that they were going to do that today. But I am pleased that they have.
'It is good news that they have set out their intentions so clearly. We know that the subvention has shrunk very significantly since 2003, when it was at its highest, and we do need to see it restored to a higher level.
