- Swiss consulate confirms it will terminate its involvement and funding in the German Swiss International School as its demands were not met
- German consulate says it is ‘on the same page’ with the Swiss government, whose demands were aimed at improving the school’s governance
The German consulate has thrown its weight behind the Swiss government in a row over the management of a prestigious Hong Kong international school they fund, blaming the institution's managing board for the escalating dispute.
But the German Swiss International School (GSIS) fired back on Wednesday, insisting efforts had been made to negotiate with the Swiss government, which had requested to remove "Swiss" from the name of the institution after its demands to have more say in its operations were voted down.
The issue came to light last week after the Swiss consulate confirmed it would terminate its involvement and funding in the GSIS, while also threatening of further actions if the school did not remove the words "Swiss" and "Schweizerische" from its name.
The reason for the withdrawal dates back to a months-long row, as the Swiss government last year requested five changes to the school's articles to have more say, including having a voting seat on the board from the Swiss School Committee and a non-voting representative from the Swiss consulate at all board meetings, as well as mandatory rotation of the board chair every two years.
It had warned that it would pull itself out of the school if the five requirements were not met.
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Last month, the Swiss government's requests was voted down during an "extraordinary general meeting", with only 22.8 per cent of members voting in favour " way behind the 75 per cent required.
Making its stance public, the German consulate in Hong Kong told the Post on Tuesday they believed the management row was a result of the school's "unaccommodating approach" to the Swiss government.
"The German government and the Swiss government are completely on the same page … We understand (the) Swiss (government's) decision. Regrettably, the Swiss demands were not met," a spokesman at the German consulate said.
"The Swiss demands were aimed at improving the governance of the school and making its functioning processes more democratic. Those are reasonable suggestions. Many of the parents at the GSIS, not just in the German stream, would have preferred a more accommodating approach towards the Swiss government. We are very unhappy with the departure of the Swiss government," he said.
The question was repeatedly asked (by the school) " could there be a slight flexibility here and there? Could it be two (demands), not five? Because not everybody could agree (on) a total fiveClare Chiu, managing director, German Swiss International School
The German consulate added that although it had been keeping close contact with the Swiss government, it had no plans to urge them to change their decision.
But the GSIS, which had insisted that it would not change the school's name, said on Wednesday the Swiss government's departure from the institution was because it was insistent on keeping all five requirements.
"The question was repeatedly asked (by the school) " could there be a slight flexibility here and there? Could it be two (demands), not five? Because not everybody could agree (on) a total five," GSIS managing director Clare Chiu Hsin-yao told the Post.
Switzerland to pull funding from German Swiss International School in Hong Kong
"The position (of the Swiss government) was quite clear. It's all or nothing."
A member from the GSIS school board added: "Every attempt was made. In the end, the members decide whether we can accept the terms or not."
The Swiss consulate said it "fully accepted" the vote by a majority of GSIS members, but it would not change its decision to withdraw from the school.
"We are fully aware of certain differences between the GSIS board and Switzerland regarding the interpretation of our requests," a spokesman said. "Our only aim was to improve the governance of the school and making its functioning processes more democratic."
The GSIS, which has two campuses located on The Peak and in Pok Fu Lam, was established by a group of German and Swiss parents in 1969. Most of its 1,300 pupils from kindergarten to secondary level are charged between HK$156,000 (US$20,100) and HK$203,000 a year.
The school was recently involved in another controversy as its Business College, which had been providing vocational courses for more than three decades, was forced to shut down this summer after the Education Bureau decided it was providing postsecondary education which the institute was not registered for.
The German Industry and Commerce Ltd, a key partner of the course, told the Post on Wednesday it was discussing with other potential partners to explore how the courses could be continued, but a formal registration process would require a substantial amount of time.
It said it was still hoping a temporary transitional solution could be achieved with the bureau to minimise the impact of the closure on some 25 students who were expected to graduate next year.
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