Emphasis placed on a balanced curriculum
ST STEPHEN'S GIRLS' College has a long-established philosophy on education, treating equally a student's moral, intellectual, athletic, social, spiritual and aesthetic growth. The principal, Reverend Jenny Nam Wong Chun-nai, said while students should aim for academic excellence, producing well-rounded and versatile individuals was more important.
'There is an area for everyone to excel and the school recognises that everyone has potential and talent and we need to nurture and acknowledge that,' she said.
The school maintains a balanced curriculum of language, arts, science, cultural subjects, religious and physical education.
Instead of students specialising in an area in their senior years, the school has long-adopted a progressive policy which emphasised a liberal arts education. This allowed students in Form Four and above to choose from a variety of arts and science courses, a focus of government education reforms.
Assistant principal Margaret Chan Law Yuk-lin said: 'They shouldn't be focused on studying just art or science subjects when their future isn't decided. They should be given the chance to explore these different areas.'
An early proponent of activity-approached teaching and learning, St Stephen's staff has been taking students on excursions since the mid-1970s. Joyce So Joy-dick, president of the Alumni Association, recalled that when she was in Form One, the class spent almost three weeks studying pollution in lieu of regular class work. Her mother, who worked in education, disapproved.
The most recent and best example of what fun learning can be, according to Ms Nam, was the school's disco rendition of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. It debuted last year, but was revived in July at the request of the Education and Manpower Bureau.
