Wa Ying College
Encyclopedia
Wa Ying College is a secondary school in Homantin, Kowloon
, Hong Kong
. It is managed by the Methodist Church, Hong Kong.
of Guangdong
in China
. The school quickly established itself as one of the three most prestigious middle schools in pre-World War II
southern China. During the War the school relocated to Hong Kong in Tung Chung Fort
of Tung Chung
on Lantau Island
and later moved to Shatin. It returned to Foshan after the war. In 1951, after the Communist Party of China
came into power in mainland China, the Foshan-based Wa Ying Middle School was confiscated by the state as the People's Republic of China
's atheist Communist ideology does not allow religious organizations-run schools to operate. The Foshan No.1 Middle School (廣東省佛山市第一中學; pinyin Guangdong sheng Foshan shi Diyi Zhongxue, abbrev 佛山一中; pinyin Foshan Yizhong), was formed after the authorities merged the former Wa Ying Middle School with the public run Foshan Middle School (佛山中學; pinyin Foshan Zhongxue) and sited at the former Wa Ying Middle School.
In 1969, alumni of Wa Ying Middle School based in Hong Kong handed a proposal to the Chinese Methodist Church to re-establish the school in Hong Kong, then outside the People's Republic of China's control. The alumni pledged to raise funds to start the building project and entrusted the school to the church as in the past. With less than 400 alumni, nearly $300,000 was raised. In addition to a loan of $250,000 and a subsidy of two million dollars granted from the Hong Kong Government, the dream to resume the school came true. Construction work began at its present site in 1970.
In September 1971, the new school, now named Wa Ying College in English while keeping the Chinese name of its Foshan predecessor, started with 18 teachers and 12 classes. The school gradually expanded up to 31 classes by the 1983-84 academic year. The school campus has undergone a number of renovations over the years, with the most recent being at the late 2005.
The school's policies are also known to be highly progressive. Since its re-founding in Hong Kong in 1971, all teachers have been involved in the school's administrative work and the making of school policies through the system of functional committees. The school also pioneered school counseling practices in Hong Kong by introducing social workers into the school and setting up peer counseling schemes http://intranet.waying.edu.hk/waying/stafflist/ . Most of the student welfare affairs have been managed by the democratically-elected Student Union since 1992. Hong Kong Local History and Liberal Studies were also introduced into the school curriculum long before they became fashionable in Hong Kong education. In the upcoming introduction of new Senior Secondary Curriculum, Wa Ying College is one of the pioneer schools that offers Design and Applied Technology as a technology-based elective, while most other schools offer the more common electives such as Finance and Information Technology
related subjects at the initial stage http://intranet.waying.edu.hk/waying/newspaper/TVB.htm.
The school's teachers and students enjoy a very close-knit relationship together and there is a well known saying of "Once a Wa Ying member, forever you remain a Wa Ying member" (一日華英人，一生華英人。) among Wa Ying's students and alumni.
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It is managed by the Methodist Church, Hong Kong.
History
It was founded as Wa Ying Middle School (Chinese name 華英中學) by the Methodist Church in 1913 in FoshanFoshan
Foshan is a city in central Guangdong province in southern China. The prefectural area under the city's jurisdiction over an area of about 3,840 km² and a population of 5.4 million of which 1.1 million reside in the city proper ....
of Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The school quickly established itself as one of the three most prestigious middle schools in pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
southern China. During the War the school relocated to Hong Kong in Tung Chung Fort
Tung Chung Fort
Tung Chung Fort is a fort located near Tung Chung, on Lantau Island, in Hong Kong. Located near Tung Chung Road, the fort is surrounded by villages of Sheung Ling Pei and Ha Ling Pei . It has a companion Tung Chung Battery on the coast.-History:...
of Tung Chung
Tung Chung
Tung Chung, meaning 'eastern stream', is an area situated on the north-western coast of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Tung Chung, currently one of the latest generation of new towns, was formerly a rural village around Tung Chung Wan, and along the delta and lower courses of Tung Chung River and Ma...
on Lantau Island
Lantau Island
Lantau Island , based on the old local name of Lantau Peak , is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong...
and later moved to Shatin. It returned to Foshan after the war. In 1951, after the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
came into power in mainland China, the Foshan-based Wa Ying Middle School was confiscated by the state as the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's atheist Communist ideology does not allow religious organizations-run schools to operate. The Foshan No.1 Middle School (廣東省佛山市第一中學; pinyin Guangdong sheng Foshan shi Diyi Zhongxue, abbrev 佛山一中; pinyin Foshan Yizhong), was formed after the authorities merged the former Wa Ying Middle School with the public run Foshan Middle School (佛山中學; pinyin Foshan Zhongxue) and sited at the former Wa Ying Middle School.
In 1969, alumni of Wa Ying Middle School based in Hong Kong handed a proposal to the Chinese Methodist Church to re-establish the school in Hong Kong, then outside the People's Republic of China's control. The alumni pledged to raise funds to start the building project and entrusted the school to the church as in the past. With less than 400 alumni, nearly $300,000 was raised. In addition to a loan of $250,000 and a subsidy of two million dollars granted from the Hong Kong Government, the dream to resume the school came true. Construction work began at its present site in 1970.
In September 1971, the new school, now named Wa Ying College in English while keeping the Chinese name of its Foshan predecessor, started with 18 teachers and 12 classes. The school gradually expanded up to 31 classes by the 1983-84 academic year. The school campus has undergone a number of renovations over the years, with the most recent being at the late 2005.
Reputations and Achievements
Wa Ying College is considered a school with an excellent reputation both district-wide and territory-wide. All Form 1 student intakes are band 1 primary school graduates and competition for a place at Wa Ying is highly intense, the admittance ratio for the year 2007-2008 is 14:1. A majority (regularly 85%+) of its Form 7 graduates are admitted to universities in Hong Kong every year.The school's policies are also known to be highly progressive. Since its re-founding in Hong Kong in 1971, all teachers have been involved in the school's administrative work and the making of school policies through the system of functional committees. The school also pioneered school counseling practices in Hong Kong by introducing social workers into the school and setting up peer counseling schemes http://intranet.waying.edu.hk/waying/stafflist/ . Most of the student welfare affairs have been managed by the democratically-elected Student Union since 1992. Hong Kong Local History and Liberal Studies were also introduced into the school curriculum long before they became fashionable in Hong Kong education. In the upcoming introduction of new Senior Secondary Curriculum, Wa Ying College is one of the pioneer schools that offers Design and Applied Technology as a technology-based elective, while most other schools offer the more common electives such as Finance and Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
related subjects at the initial stage http://intranet.waying.edu.hk/waying/newspaper/TVB.htm.
The school's teachers and students enjoy a very close-knit relationship together and there is a well known saying of "Once a Wa Ying member, forever you remain a Wa Ying member" (一日華英人，一生華英人。) among Wa Ying's students and alumni.
List of principals (Excluding Foshan Years)
- Mr Fong Wing Cheong (1971–1989)
- Miss Ho Seck Fun (1989–1995)
- Mr Mak Chiu (1995–2004)
- Mr Tsang Kai Man (Acting 2004-2006; 2006–present)
External links
- Wa Ying College, the official webpage of Wa Ying College now based in Hong Kong
- Foshan No.1 Middle School, the publicly-run secondary school in Foshan founded on the confiscated site of the former Foshan-based Wa Ying Middle School (in simplified Chinese)
See also
- Education in Hong KongEducation in Hong KongEducation in Hong Kong has a similar system to that of the United Kingdom, in particular the English education system of Hong Kong was modernised by the British in 1861. The system is often described as extremely competitive by global standards....