Having had a difficult childhood, Leung Kee-cheong knows only too well how education can change a person's life.
'I grew up in Hung Hom in a household of abject poverty,' said the headmaster of the Fresh Fish Traders' School. 'My parents worked in jobs such as car-washing, hawking and labouring. I had to change my uniform and rush to work after school every day to make some extra money to support the family.'
The 52-year-old principal battled successfully to save the school after the government first ordered it to close in 2004. Apart from opposing the government, Mr Leung sought donations and materials for pupils to take part in extra-curricular activities, including trips to a theme park, sailing and exchange programmes outside Hong Kong.
'Most of our children are from poor families. I want to be sure they enjoy the same opportunities to participate in activities after school as other children from well-off families. I want them to be confident and have high self-esteem and never look down on themselves.'
Born in 1955, the eldest of five children, Mr Leung, did well in his exams but failed to enter Form Six because his family could not afford the annual tuition fee of HK$40.
He studied for A-levels and took a two-year teaching diploma after a year's work, and then began his career in education.