The school that is in a league of its own
Hang Seng School of Commerce's reputation for turning out straight-A students was further strengthened yesterday - the city's only student to score six straight As came from Hang Seng, as did 16 of the 21 students who bagged five As.
And the Sha Tin school's winning streak was evident not just among students scoring five As, of which there were 10 more than last year. Some 575 A grades were earned by students at the school this year, an 89 per cent rise on the 305 As it scored in 2006, the first time it had pupils scoring six As.
School president Chui Hong-sheung said Hang Seng was known for transforming average-scoring students into high achievers, and he was inspired by the results.
'Our teachers are willing to teach all those who are willing to come. We have one student who scored 23 [out of 30] in the Form Five public exam and got five As in his A-levels here,' Chui said.
The only other school to get some of the media spotlight was the Diocesan Girls' School, which produced two five-A students this year. The other three five-A scorers came from Ying Wa Girls' School, St Joseph's College and Po Leung Kuk Tang Yuk Tien College in Tuen Mun.
Hang Seng School, which is backed by Hang Seng Bank, boasts reserves of HK$1 billion, a staff of 97, all of whom have masters' degrees, a 'staff recognition system' which hands out bonuses of up to 75 per cent of a month's salary for good performance and free trips for all staff to Japan, Shanghai and Taiwan to boost teachers' morale.
This has helped the school transform itself into a prestigious institution that also offers sub-degree programmes.
A total of 206, or one-sixth, of students live in dormitories and more than 10 teaching staff, including the principal, live on campus. With facilities including a swimming pool, tennis court and Wi-fi in the dormitories, the school is run like a boarding school.
'Having teachers on campus is better for students' all-round development,' Chui said. 'Studying together at night also provides more motivation. Four students who live in the same dormitory are among the top achievers. They all got three As.'
Poon Ka-ki, who has been living in one of the dormitories for a year, scored five As. 'The best thing about living here is the canteen, so you can grab a quick dinner and continue revising,' he said.
Cheng Fuk-wai, 19, who got six As, thanked his parents for their support. 'I come from a humble family. My dad is a Chinese medicine practitioner and my mum is a security guard. I skimp on my things to buy books,' he said. 'I want to study languages or social sciences at Chinese University or the University of Hong Kong. I don't want to be a millionaire, but I hope to improve my parents' livelihood.'
Yet Pak-hei, 18, also from Hang Seng, who got five As and a B, said he used to stutter but after working with his teachers he scored a C in his English oral exam and an A in the Chinese oral exam.
