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Press Release issued by St. Paul Co-educational College

(Hong Kong, September 8, 2005) St. Paul's Co-educational College ("SPCC" or the "School") is happy to receive an HK$80 million donation from the Li Ka Shing Foundation to support the needed expansion of its campus after its conversion to Direct Subsidy Scheme ("DSS") as well as to establish a financial aid programme designated for very needy students. This gift will enable SPCC to proceed with deliberate speed to transform itself from a Good local school to a Great world-class school and fulfill its educational mission to cultivate a new generation of altruistic leaders in the spirit of excellence.

The Supervisor of the School, Dr. Michael H.H. Mak, said, "Mr. Li has always wholeheartedly supported the community. I believe that a donation of this size is unprecedented among donations to secondary and primary schools in Hong Kong and therefore this gift has a special meaning to us. We feel honoured that through this donation, Mr. Li has endorsed our contribution to education and has shown he is 100% confident in our School. We are very grateful to Mr. Li for his tremendous support. Mr. Li has always focused on educational development, not only advanced studies and research, but also basic education. He understands that if children gain high-quality education at an early age, this will serve them well over their lifetime."

Mr. Li made a special effort this morning to visit SPCC personally to attend Morning Assembly and in front of 1,200 students conveyed his aspirations for the upcoming generation.

Mr. Li's speech was entitled "The Dreamer and his Reach". He posed an intriguing question to the students: "Everyone says that we are a nation of capable, smart and industrious people, then why are we still lagging behind most countries in the West?"

Mr. Li said he did not have an answer to his own question, but he believed that we must encourage and support our children to dream large and to reach out for their dreams, because dreams are the catalyst for our dynamic future.

"In this fast-evolving world, the pursuit of knowledge is after all only one factor to human fulfillment. Today, we must extend the frontiers of our children's minds, we must let them weave their dreams not merely around life's quantifiable achievements but to be true champions of the modern mind who are not slaves to the thinking of the past. Competition in the future will be harsh; the pursuit of knowledge, the dignity of labour are essential fundamentals for survival; to excel you must nurture your own independent mind and your spirit of discovery."

Mr. Li again urged the Government to make more strategic investments in education and provide more matching funds for private donations to lay the groundwork for future generations.

After the Morning Assembly, Mr. Li toured the School accompanied by Council members and the Principal, Dr. Anissa Chan, to have a look at the physical environment, observe classes in session and meet with some 40 senior students to exchange ideas and views on a multitude of topics.

Dr. Chan said, "Mr. Li's generosity and concern for St. Paul's Co-ed and his visit to the School to share with and inspire our students to work towards their dreams is indeed a great gift in our 90th Anniversary Year of the School. We are most grateful for Mr. Li's encouragement and expectation of us. Indeed we encourage our students to dream. In pursuing such dreams, we realise we must work hard and explore and develop our critical thinking skills in order to constantly seek better answers. It is through this that we enrich our lives and through enriching ourselves, we better society and improve humankind. The Council members and teachers of SPCC are all dreamers. Our dreams revolve around one issue: how to make improvements so that our students can receive the best education possible. Only in this way, can we be sure they enrich their own lives and make meaningful contributions to society."

Mr. Li's donation of HK$80 million will be used towards the two different projects, one of which is the construction of a new 6,800-square-metre building to expand the SPCC campus to improve its extra-curricular and academic facilities. This newly constructed building will be named "Li Chong Yuet Ming Building", in memory of Mr. Li's late beloved wife's enthusiasm and involvement in support of educational and other philanthropic causes. In addition, SPCC will establish the "Li Chong Yuet Ming Care Fund".

Dr. Mak said, "Mr. Li believes that knowledge can reshape destiny and this is in line with what we believe to be our educational purpose. The reason for our School conversion to a DSS school is so that it can provide the best quality education to our next generation and that such quality education should be for talented children from every social stratum. We particularly hope that children from lower income families will have access to such an education so that they can have a chance to break the difficult circumstances of trans-generational poverty. Therefore, we absolutely support such needy families, even to the extent of charging them zero tuition."

SPCC has been serving the community since its establishment, whether before or after its conversion to DSS. The School is determined to uphold its tradition of serving the community by educating talented students from a wide social spectrum to become altruistic leaders. In this connection, SPCC has put into place a quota-free "Fee Remission Scheme" to provide up to 100% fee remission to needy students. Although students can also apply for subsidies from the Government toward transportation and textbook expenses, Mr. Li Ka-shing is aware that the aforementioned subsidies may not be sufficient to cover all the expenses of a student for those in great financial need. Therefore, he has decided to establish the "Li Chong Yuet Ming Care Fund" to ensure that such needy students attending the School can receive additional living allowances so they can concentrate on their studies without being subject to any unnecessary financial burden.

Currently, SPCC's campus is very cramped as it is under-provisioned by 40% in terms of space when compared to the minimum standard premises provided by the Government for schools of similar enrolment. As such, it is planned that upon the merging and relocation of the two affiliated primary schools to the New Primary School premises at Wong Chuk Hang in 2008, a HK$130 million project will be undertaken to refurbish the existing Secondary School premises and to demolish the adjacent MacDonnell Road Primary School building and in its place construct a new building which will contain needed facilities and extend the Secondary School campus.

The Li Ka Shing Foundation was established in 1980 to nurture a culture of giving. Mr. Li believes that this can be accomplished by focusing on capacity empowerment through education and the building of a caring society through medical and healthcare projects. The Li Ka Shing Foundation and other private charitable foundations established by Mr. Li have supported numerous philanthropic activities with grants, sponsorships, and commitments of approximately HK$7.6 billion.

Apart from thanking Mr. Li for his financial support and endorsement, the Council of SPCC have committed to working even harder to nurture its students so that they will become knowledgeable altruistic leaders with a global perspective and a strong sense of social responsibility.

For press enquires, please contact:
Ms. Elizabeth Chan
Tel: 2189 7986
Fax: 2557-9735
Email: lizcchan@yahoo.com

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Addressing students of St. Paul's Co-educational College at the College's morning assembly, Mr Li Ka-shing urges the Government to make more strategic investments in education and provide more matching funds for private donations to lay the groundwork for future generations.

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Mr Li Ka-shing examines the model of the redeveloped St. Paul's Co-educational College while Mr Victor Li ( second from left ) looks on.

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An artist's impression of Li Chong Yuet Ming Building, in the redevelopment plan of St. Paul's Co-educational College.

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Mr Li Ka-shing listens attentively to the performance of students of the St. Paul's Co-educational ( Macdonnell Road ) Primary School.

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Mr Li Ka-shing shares his views and ideas on a multitude of topics with a group of senior students of St. Paul Co-educational College.

Good Morning, everybody.

I think, apart from my granddaughters, you must be the youngest crowd I have ever talked to. I am aware that I am much older than you all so I will try not to bore you.

I hope the Principal will not be too disapproving of me when she hears that I want to talk about dreams so early in the morning. Dr. Chan, please do not fret; I too have little appetite for those "daydreamers" who spend their lifetime waiting for good fortune to befall them hoping only for a life of slothful ease. My firm belief is that only those with prepared minds and willing hearts can recognize and seize upon all the great opportunities that are constantly floating around us.

Everyone says that we are a nation of capable, smart and industrious people, then why are we still lagging behind most countries in the West? Is the answer as simple as some say, that it is all a matter of structural or historical problems? I have no answer to my own question. However, I believe we must encourage and support our children to dream large and to reach out for their dreams; it is the catalyst for our dynamic future. I know our traditional teachings cast a certain disdain over "dreaming" as the idea of dreaming does not sync well with the pragmatism of our Chinese culture. We merit the hardworking and the strenuous man. We are somewhat skeptical of those who think outside the box and their aspirations.

There is nothing wrong with this attitude except that to achieve our potential, we need more. In this fast evolving world, the pursuit of knowledge is after all only one factor to human fulfillment. Today, we must extend the frontiers of our children's minds, we must let them weave their dreams not merely around life's quantifiable achievements but to be true champions of the modern mind who are not slaves to the thinking of the past and limiting traditional teachings to be merely accepted, repeated or verified, but to test and challenge it with a progressive attitude that enables our past to be relevant to the future.

My young friends, competition in the future will be harsh; the pursuit of knowledge, the dignity of labor are essential fundamentals for survival; to excel you must nurture your own independent mind and your spirit of discovery. Are you curious to the magnificence and the power of nature? Do you approach life with great fascination and unbridled enthusiasm? Are you confined by boundaries and impossibilities, or do you dream beyond seeming limitations, dream of what you want to be and dream of what you can be? Does your mind see the connection between different things, be it science in art, or art in science? Are you learned and wise? Or are you like the smart but foolish man who Benjamin Franklin once described as "so learned that he could describe a horse in nine languages but so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride".

Do you have power of reasoning, pondering before jumping into conclusion? I just want to ask one simple question, have you ever imagined improving on the design of the pc games you play or are you just a player, played by the game?

My friends, all the progress we enjoy now, the power of science, the beauty of arts, the liberation of philosophies all started with someone asking a question, or someone dreaming of a better answer.

Your council has opted for change and wants to develop something new at St Paul's Co-ed. You have sought society's support and society has responded. Of course I would like to call again for the government to invest more strategically in education and to improve on the matching ratio to cultivate the strength and pulse of private initiatives in education. Doing so is in the truest interest to the future of Hong Kong. We must build on something more than just concrete and structure; we must strive to enlarge the minds and better the hearts of our young people. I anticipate the day when we will say with great pride that the world has again advanced - humankind has resolved one more problem, and it all began here in St. Paul's Co-ed with a question in our student's mind, his wonders and his dreams.

My sincerest wishes are for you all and for your bright future. Thank you.