Advertisement
Advertisement

The naughty schoolboy who made a difference

Koo Ming-kown said the massive donation was another way for him to achieve his unfulfilled goal from his school days.

'I want to contribute to the education sector probably because I did not do well at school.

'I want to give the opportunities for youngsters to do what I could not do,' the 60-year-old businessman said.

After escaping from Shanghai to Hong Kong in the 1940s, Mr Koo studied in Pui Ching primary and secondary schools, set up in the 19th century.

But he failed to meet the middle school's requirements and was demoted several times.

He ended up taking about 10 years to finish his secondary education, which was supposed to last only six years. He also did not receive a certificate when leaving the school in 1966.

'I was quite naughty at that time and liked to argue with people,' he said.

But he graduated with a degree in law from National Taiwan University in 1970.

Classmates speak highly of him. 'He was a very smart student who excelled in socialising, debating and sports,' said Edward Chan Tak-wah, who chairs Pui Ching Alumni Association and was in the same grade as Mr Koo at secondary school.

'He might have been demoted a few times in school, but who did not at that time?

Post