'Naughty' Stanley Ho wised up after poor grades at elite school

He was among the worst and naughtiest in his class, but the idea of having to make a living out of sweeping the streets sent casino mogul Stanley Ho Hung-sun a wake-up call that changed his life.

It was his eight-year education at the Government Central School for Boys that laid a strong foundation for him to proceed to university, Mr Ho said in a video interview shown at his alma mater during an event called the Former Central School Envisioning Days.

Recalling those carefree days at the school - the cradle for the first generations of the local elite now known as Queen's College in Tin Hau - Mr Ho, who was admitted to Grade Eight in the late 1930s when he was eight, acknowledged he was a very naughty boy. 'I hated schoolwork, and I was among those who loved mocking our headmaster at the time,' he said. 'And I always came last or second last in my class.'

Mr Ho said the Central School was the best in the city back then, but there was a faint hint of guilt when he recalled that he had not treasured the opportunity to study there during the early days.

'Once, I failed again, and my mother cried to me, telling me that I might have to go sweep the streets because she could no longer afford my tuition fees,' he said.

'That was a wake-up call. I must get a scholarship.'