Founder of Hong Kong free tuition centre receives sufficient donations for children’s education
Funds amounting to more than HK$1m enough to support three children’s schooling after death of his wife, the family’s main breadwinner
An educator who quit a well-paying job to start a free tutorial centre for almost 10,000 poor children has raised enough funds for his three children to finish their secondary school education after the death of his wife, the main breadwinner of the family.
Chan Hung, or “Principal Chan”, said yesterday citizens had donated more than HK$1 million to him to support the education of his son and two daughters. His elder daughter still has more than a year left of secondary school in New Zealand, while his younger daughter and son have two and four years respectively remaining in the English Schools Foundation’s Island School.
“I have recovered [from losing my wife],” said Chan. “I will pay for my children’s university costs myself. It’s impossible for me to ask the public to help me for the rest of my life.” His wife Fion died of breast cancer on June 4. She was a civil servant and her death meant the family not only lost the major breadwinner but also the government subsidy for civil servants’ children.
Chan’s tutorial centre, Principal Chan Free Tutorial World, started calls for donations two days later. The fundraising campaign was stopped as Chan had received enough donations.
The 47-year-old quit his job as the principal of QualiEd College in Tseung Kwan O – with a monthly pay of over HK$90,000 – to set up the free tutorial centre, which today has helped almost 10,000 schoolchildren from Primary One to Form Six. Almost 9,000 volunteer teachers have registered to help at the centre’s branches in Prince Edward, Tai Kok Tsui and Kwai Chung. The donations raised by the centre will be enough to support its operations for another four years, Chan said.