CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

Fourth High Table Dinner: Driving Systematic Changes in Education (Mr Arnold CHAN)

The Fourth and last High Table Dinner in 2018–19 was held on 26 March 2019. For the graduating class of 2019, it was the last College High Table Dinner in their undergraduate studies. To bid farewell to the graduates-to-be and highlight the cultural diversity in the College, the other dinner participants gave them a German-style toast led by the MC, an incoming exchange student from Germany.

Mr Arnold CHAN, Founder and CEO of Teach for Hong Kong, spoke about his NGO and social project during the dinner as the guest of honour. He pointed out that despite free education in Hong Kong, many students are plagued by education inequity due to intergenerational poverty. They cannot afford extra-curricular activities and learning resources, and they are less likely to be admitted to university compared with well-off students. In the exam-oriented education system in Hong Kong, they are defined as failures.

To address the social problem with education innovation, Mr CHAN founded Teach for Hong Kong, offering quality education to grass-root students with cross-sector support through the one-year Fellowship Program, in which university graduates in non-Education majors are trained to teach in underprivileged schools, and are provided with a monthly stipend. The Program is a win-win initiative to the students and Fellows. Under the Fellows' teaching and influence, the students gained more confidence and motivation to learn, while the Fellows learnt to be compassionate and enthusiastic future leaders. More than half of them continue to teach or pursue further studies in Education after the Program.

Since its establishment in 2015, Teach for Hong Kong has recruited 74 Fellows out of over 810 applications to serve over 12,000 students. They have raised over $20 million across different sectors.

Mr CHAN played a video about one of the NGO's Fellows who took up the teaching placement in a local primary school. She shared about her journey there, from initial frustration to a great sense of achievement when she saw changes in her students and herself.

Mr CHAN rounded off his talk with a quote by Mr Jeff BEZOS, founder and CEO of Amazon, 'Cleverness is a gift; kindness is a choice.' He told College students not to dismiss their dreams, and not to forget about the less fortunate when they pursue their dreams.