Feature: Hong Kong principal volunteers to build dreams for underprivileged kids

HONG KONG, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- In a packed commercial building in Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong sits a modest, petite office with a sign reading "Principal Chan Free Tutorial World." At 10 a.m., the staff is busy compiling textbooks and arranging courses.

This tutorial world, a non-profit organization established in 2011, is Hong Kong's first center of its kind that specifically provides free one-to-one tutorial services and other educational support to underprivileged children.

It is also what 56-year-old Hongkonger Chan Hung, known as Principal Chan of his eponymous free tutorial center, has poured all his love and passion into over the past years.

As early as 15 years ago, Chan, a seasoned educator and writer, quitted his million-Hong Kong dollar job as principal of a Direct Subsidy Scheme secondary school to build from scratch such an organization.

"Money in exchange for basic education opportunities. What a backstep!" lamented Chan, who noticed a heart-wrenching, widening education gap years ago. Unwilling to see that continue, Chan resolved to go with his gut and make a difference.

"I couldn't just sit back and see those poor kids fall behind from the very start and simply abandon themselves," Chan told Xinhua, explaining why he made such a baffling decision to resign. "There is so much more to life than just fame and wealth."

His efforts paid off. Throughout these years, the organization has successfully matched nearly 22,000 tutors and students since 2011, and set up two talent centers to help nearly 200 poor students enroll in college annually. With the funding and support from charities, the organization continues to grow bigger, and is now joined by more than 10,000 part-time volunteer tutors from all walks of life, including university students, retired teachers, office clerks and stay-at-home moms.

In the early days, Chan set up a stall and put up a sign near community stadiums every Friday night, where marginalized kids from grassroots families came to play basketball. By chatting with those rebellious children, he tried to figure out why they dropped out of school and understand their inferiority complex. He gradually made friends with them and even ended up teaching them Mandarin.

"This is something that many schools failed to and cannot do, to provide not just tutoring, but psychological counseling," Chan said of his one-to-one tutoring services.

To better understand the specific needs of underprivileged kids, Chan also carried out extensive research in Kwun Tong, Lantau and other places, where he came to know that besides educational resources, parents' cognition matters equally.

That's what motivated him to found another two talent centers through charities in addition to maths and English tutoring, seeking to explore the infinite possibilities of children's future, which should not be fettered by simply studying.

"Education should never be a 'one-size-fits-all' or 'cramming' style," said Chan. For him, these kids can be artists, writers, violinists, pianists, athletes, film directors, chefs, and anybody. "All they need is a chance."

Khalil Mahmood, a Pakistani student who has lived in Hong Kong since childhood, remembered clearly those days back in secondary school when he fought hard with his Chinese and nearly dropped out of school. From 2018 to 2021, Anthony, a volunteer teacher at Chan's tutorial center, taught him Chinese, economics and about life. He then made rapid progress, earned scholarships, and was enrolled in the BBA in Finance program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"What we do, to some extent, is to make up for the role of parents, helping to explore their kids' possibilities, tap their potential and support their dreams," Chan said of Chung, another student who is currently studying filmmaking at Taipei National University of the Arts.

Chung was once an A-student who later got bored with studying and became addicted to computer games. By introducing him to various extracurricular activities, Chan discovered his talent in filmmaking, encouraged him to pursue his dreams and helped rebuild his confidence. Even before entering university, he already won a gold prize in the youth category of a famed filmmaking award in Hong Kong.

"Some of the volunteer teachers have been with us for as long as ten years, and 20 percent of the volunteer teachers are graduates who were former beneficiaries of our organization," Chan said.

One of them is a medical student at the University of Hong Kong surnamed Ngan, who sought English tutoring through Chan's organization. Now she is giving back to her community every Saturday as a volunteer teacher. She saw in her students' faces the exact happiness she had when making progress in English.

Right now, nearly 3,000 students are on the waiting list to be matched, Chan said. "On one hand, we are very pleased that this institution is known by more students and families. On the other hand, I'm worried that there are not enough volunteer teachers or donations raised to meet students' growing demand."

Luckily, "I'm not alone in this fight," he said.