EXECUTIVE Councillor Rosanna Wong Yick-ming urged graduates to cherish life's assets and use their talent to help the less fortunate at the Diocesan Girls' School annual speech day.
''We tend to take life for granted ... We assume that luxuries and fortune come naturally,'' said Ms Wong, the guest-of-honour at the graduation ceremony.
''We tend to compare ourselves with those who are better off. But in fact, most people lead a less comfortable life than ours.'' Ms Wong said, unlike generations ago when women were deprived of the right to education and had their feet bound, women nowadays enjoy much more freedom. However, there is a price - responsibility.
''It's a privilege to be educated in one of the top girls' schools, but privilege also goes hand-in-hand with responsibility. Your intelligence and education mean you can see and understand what is going on around you,'' she said.
''So it is your responsibility to try to benefit those who are less fortunate than you.'' She also cited cases of some unfortunate young girls who were left behind by their families and friends. Some of them got pregnant and some stayed in girls' homes. They all need help and compassion.
Headmistress Elim Lau explained the role of school and parents in facing youngsters' queries about social and moral issues such as drugs and homosexuality.
