This follows criticism from business chambers and other observers that a lack of school places for expatriate children is harming the city's reputation as an international commerce hub.

However, some lawmakers have accused the government of catering only to the wealthy in its latest decision.

Three vacant school premises will be turned into international classrooms to create 1,700 places, the government said yesterday.
One site in Stanley was granted to the International Montessori Education Foundation, which will be able to expand from its current site in Tin Hau.
Carmel School, a Jewish school, will occupy a site in Shau Kei Wan, while Nord Anglia Education, a British company, will establish its first school in Hong Kong at a campus in Lam Tin.

Under a government allocation scheme, land is offered to operators at a nominal premium along with interest-free loans for construction and development. The three sites were offered amid reports that the city is short of 4,200 international school places, based on preliminary findings of a survey commissioned by the government. Reports South China Morning Post.