PETALING JAYA: Epsom College in Malaysia (ECiM) is prepared to accommodate an increase in student enrolment following the introduction of its special offer on tuition and boarding fees.
The college is expanding its facilities, which is expected to be completed by year-end.
Chief executive officer Mark Lankester said the offer caters specifically for families in the United Kingdom who are potentially impacted by the imposition of a 20% value-added tax (VAT) by the country’s Labour Party should it come into power.
The UK general election is widely anticipated to take place in the final quarter of this year.
“Some British parents in the school here alerted us to the problem, saying that it is going to be really, really painful for many of their friends in the UK,” he told StarBiz.
Even if the Labour Party decides not to follow through with its VAT proposal when it comes into power, Lankester said the offer remains open.
“We have made this offer to UK families for enrollment in the academic year 2024/2025. Outreach with UK families indicates that they will want to visit the school first.
“It is a significant decision, so visits including meetings with the headmaster and teachers will be important. We welcome school visits from our international and Malaysian families all the time,” he said.
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said in 2021 that he intended to remove the VAT exemption for private schools if he were to assume power, a move that would result in a 20% increase in education expenses.
Expectations that Labour Party will return to power after 14 years were further solidified following the Conservative Party’s heavy losses in local election results on May 3.
The introduction of VAT on private school fees, as a matter of fact, has been on the Labour Party’s agenda since it published its 2019 manifesto.
Starmer said the extra money, about £1.5bil, raised from charging private schools’ VAT will be used to help provide additional cash to help state schools.
Given that VAT on fees would raise sufficient funding, the Labour Party has also U-turned on its pledge to scrap the charitable status of private schools last year.
Already, UK private schools are imposing an 8% hike in fees for the next academic year, ahead of the expected VAT.
ECiM, the only sister school to Epsom College in Surrey, England, is offering UK parents the chance to pay a fixed rate of £26,000 per year (tuition and boarding fees) for any UK pupils. This package is for the 2024/2025 academic year, which will commence in September.
The price is guaranteed in pounds for the lifetime of a British student’s education at the college, between Year 9 and Year 13 (or ages of 13 to 18).
Moreover, UK parents can opt for the second package, which entails £28,000 pounds a year for each student and will include three Economy Class return flights between London and Kuala Lumpur for the Christmas, Easter and Summer holidays.
