Rosaryhill school closure: private institution taking over Hong Kong campus will pay sponsoring body for use of land
An education institution taking over a well-known Hong Kong school at the centre of a closure controversy has said it will provide financial support for the current sponsoring body of the campus by paying for usage of the venue, which is on private land.
Dalton School Hong Kong (DSHK), which will assume stewardship of the privately funded Rosaryhill Kindergarten and Rosaryhill School in the Mid-Levels next September, confirmed the deal with the Dominican Mission in a reply to the Post on Monday night.
But it declined to reveal further details, including the payment amount, citing confidentiality concerns. Dominican Mission, the school sponsoring body, reportedly owns the land in question.
“In recognition of the Dominican Missions’ ongoing mission and activities in Asia, DSHK will provide contribution for the use of the school premises to support their vital work, ensuring they can continue their valuable efforts especially in Hong Kong and Macau,” a spokeswoman said.
Dalton School said last week it would take over Rosaryhill Kindergarten and Rosary School. Rosaryhill Secondary School will cease operations as a subsidised institution in the 2025-26 academic year and become a private campus offering international curriculum.
The abrupt announcement has sparked anger among parents and students, who have been forced to seek alternatives.
Hong Kong Education Bureau concerned over Rosaryhill school shift to new owners
Hong Kong Education Bureau concerned over Rosaryhill school shift to new owners
Chu Kwok-keung, an education sector lawmaker, said Rosaryhill School was built on private land, which belongs to the Dominican Mission, in contrast with most other cases when the sponsoring bodies of aided schools needed to return the land to the government at the end of stewardships.
Chu said it is very rare for an aided school such as Rosaryhill Secondary to be situated on private land belonging to its sponsoring body.
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Chu said he had learned from teaching staff of the school that the Dominican Mission no longer hoped to operate any schools, even though there was a sufficient student intake and no financial woes.
“Operating a school is not doing business, it is not like winding down a business by a company. Schools have students and teachers and we cannot just consider if it fulfils procedures,” he argued, slamming the school’s sponsoring body for not considering students’ emotions.
