Our Girls |
Quotes |
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Mrs Clara Lau |
The issue of Heep Yunn School turning DSS has been, right from the start, a contentious one. Why should the School opt for a major change when it seems just fine in what it is doing? Why should the School, that aims to serve all, take up an operation mode that, in public perception, serves exclusively the rich and privileged? Those were questions that my core team of management staff and I repeatedly asked ourselves when we were delegated by the School Council to conduct a feasibility study on the DSS mode. To answer, we had to go back to the basics: the mission and vision of Heep Yunn School ' to endeavour to provide quality Christian all round education to students from all socio-economic backgrounds.' The two focus points are:
They represent values that have directed the course of the school's development for decades and will always continue to. However, the present generation of Heep Yunn members are faced with new and daunting dilemmas. With the implementation of the NSS education reforms, the Education Bureau's redistribution of resources for secondary schools in Hong Kong has caused consequent reduction in provision for teachers for Heep Yunn School. How can we secure sufficient resources to maintain the many above- standard services we now provide for our students while still preserving our guiding principles? With the new challenges in our era, how can we better equip our students for their future? How can we persist in providing Heep Yunn girls with the kind of education so that they can continue to stand tall in competing with students locally, nationally and internationally? While the DSS mode which offers the school additional resources through the collection of school fees provides a solution to our shortage of funds, we are keenly aware it is a solution that requires a clear guideline if Heep Yunn School chooses to adopt it. The payment of fees must not deter the less privileged students from enjoying the quality Christian all round education the school provides. Therefore, provision must be made for them through an effective fee remission & scholarship system. The Heep Yunn DSS mode is unique in its vision. By adopting the DSS mode, Heep Yunn School will remain a school that offers great education services for the motivated, the hardworking and those willing to exert to achieve their personal best. By implementing an effective fee remission and scholarship system, Heep Yunn School will continue to be open to all who are qualified for admission irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds. The School is to remain a place that offers rich education opportunities for those who would take up the challenge to develop themselves in all aspects: spiritual, moral, intellectual, social, aesthetic and physical. In 1936, our school founders committed themselves to serving girls from all classes with quality all round Christian education. Though the challenges our students face change with time, the pledge of the School remains unchanged. This is a pledge shared by teachers and students of Heep Yunn School alike. In giving support to the school turning DSS, teachers of Heep Yunn School have voiced their request: the School must never turn away motivated and able students who are poor. Students, in the consultation process with the School, have stipulated one clear demand: we are happy with the present composition of our student population; we enjoy the harmony and mutual support we obtain from students of different social backgrounds and we oppose the exclusion of the underprivileged for lack of means to pay school fees. It is a consensus of the Heep Yunn School community that we should provide quality all round education to students from all classes. It is a pledge of quality and equality based on Christian values. Would the school become arrogant and snobbish after it turns DSS? I cannot see how that can happen when the core values of the School are equality, harmony and love. I cannot see how that can happen when the pledge of the School community is to provide up to 30% fee remission and scholarships to the underprivileged. Would our girls become conceited after the School turns DSS? I have faith in our school culture. Our girls are confident, never self-important. They are compassionate, understanding and have a strong sense of social justice. These are qualities that we appreciate and strive to nurture. It would not be any different even if the school changes its mode of operation. There is a very strong tradition among generations of Heep Yunn girls of peer support and positive peer influence; and it is a tradition that we shall do everything to preserve. Would the path of the Heep Yunn School mode of DSS be an easy one? Sadly, no. There are misconceptions among many members of the public about DSS schools that we have to contend with. It is always a thorny path. But it is never Heep Yunn's way to be daunted if the cause is worthy. The best way to answer to such misgivings is by showing the public what the School community can do to uphold its pledge after the School turns DSS. For Heep Yunn School to pursue its vision is a challenge that takes perseverance, patience and passion. It is a challenge that requires courage, faith and fortitude for the school community to overcome. But it is a worthy cause to fight for: and we need to fight for it in unity, with the grace and love of God. May our Lord Jesus Christ direct our course and protect our cause! |
