Mainlanders catch up to join A-league

Mainland migrant student Lee Wing-wang sailed through his exams with eight As, just three years after arriving from Guangdong.

Wing-wang, 18, of Fukien Middle School in North Point, who admitted he had to repeat a year because his English was below par, said: 'I don't know how to describe my feelings . . . I'm very happy.'

After enrolling mostly mainland migrant students, Fukien Middle School did well across the board, producing two students with six As and a 100 per cent overall pass rate, meaning that all the students passed at least six subjects.

Wing-wang was a brilliant student in his home town of Jiangmen but was forced to repeat Secondary Three when he came to the SAR to live with his parents in 1997. Fellow Fukien Middle School student Lam Wai, 18, said he could not even recognise the 26 letters of the English alphabet when he arrived in Hong Kong two years ago. Yesterday he was awarded six As, as was Hoi Wai-wan, who has lived in Hong Kong for five years.

Other schools that cater for mainland migrants also achieved impressive results.

Pui Kiu Middle School had a 92 per cent overall pass rate, with one student who has been in the SAR less than two years achieving seven As.

Pui Ching Middle School had a 97 per cent pass rate, with two students gaining eight As. Mongkok Workers' Children School had a 93 per cent success rate and three students got six As.

Three students at Diocesan Girls' School were among the 13 who scored 10 straight As. Cora Tsang Man-yuk, 17, achieved all her A grades with A(1) honours. 'The result is better than I expected. My tip is never go to tutorial centres; students must concentrate on their study in class and do their revision at home,' Cora said.

Her fellow classmates Candy Huang Hing-wai and Grace Lam Kee-yee, both 17, also received 10 As. La Salle College student Chan Kwai-cheung, 17, gained the same grades.

At the John F. Kennedy Centre for handicapped children in Pokfulam, Jason Ng Chi-ho, 18 - who suffers from muscular dystrophy - scored 19 points. Jason could study only four hours a day.

Seventy-three young inmates from five correctional institutions managed a pass rate of 37 per cent. They achieved one distinction, 27 credits and 76 passes.

The Correctional Services Department said 54 adult inmates achieved four credits and 54 passes, with a pass rate of 46.03 per cent.