Hong Kong's young mums given a chance to return to school by Caritas
Dressed in a blue school uniform and sporting a backpack, Monica blends in easily with the throngs of teenage pupils going to school - except for the baby she carries in a sling.
Our goal is to help socially deprived young people
Passengers on their morning commute do a double take when they see Monica (not her real name) on the bus. Little do they know that the slender and fresh-faced girl is a 20-year-old married mother of two, and a full-time Secondary Four pupil who will drop off her seven-month-old son at day care before heading to school.
Monica is one of seven young mothers studying full-time at Caritas Charles Vath College in Tung Chung since last September. The school has been collaborating with Caritas Project Hyacinth, a service supporting student mothers under 24.
Winnie Ng Wai-man, the social worker in charge of the project, says it is difficult to find school placements for the young mothers because they need to find a school that will be lenient when they are late or have to skip school because of their children.
Stephen Lee Kwok-wai, principal of Caritas Charles Vath College, was happy to accept the young mothers. His school is one of three under the Direct Subsidy Scheme that offer places for mature students leading to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE).
While the school does not have an official age limit, it mainly targets young people under 21. Lee says if the mothers are late for school or have to skip classes because of their children, his school can arrange for extra classes. "The young mothers enrolled are a lot more motivated than their classmates, because they are clear about their goal - to provide a better future for their family."
With 127 pupils in the current school year, the school also draws young people who have worked for a few years and now want to return to studying, as well as former prison inmates. "Our goal is to help socially deprived young people with few or no choices," says Lee.