XN000022-1980-12-18 — Page 4

3.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1980

OLD TSUEN WAN SCHOOLS RE-ESTABLISHED

IN SHEK WAI KOK ESTATE

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TWO SCHOOLS IN TSUEN WAN, WHICH WERE DEMOLISHED LAST YEAR TO MAKE WAY FOR THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY EXTENSION, WERE RE-OPENED TODAY BY THE TOWN MANAGER TSUEN WAN, DR JAMES HAYES.

THE SCHOOLS, TSUEN WAN PUBLIC SCHOOL AND HO CHUEN YIU MEMORIAL COLLEGE, WERE PREVIOUSLY LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF ROUTE TWISK. THEY HAVE BEEN RE-ESTABLISHED IN THE NEWLY COMPLETED SHEK WAI KOK ESTATE.

DR HAYES SAID THE TWO SCHOOLS HAD A PARTICULAR PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION IN TSUEN WAN DISTRICT.

TSUEN WAN PUBLIC SCHOOL WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1923, AMALGAMATING THREE PRIVATE SCHOOLS - NAM YUEN SHUE SHE OF SAM TUNG UK, TSUI PING SHUE SHE OF LO WAI, AND KAM CHUEN SHUE SUK OF HOI PA.

IN 1940, IT BECAME A SUBSIDISED SCHOOL.

EVEN DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION FROM 1941 TO 1945, | IT HAD GONE ON OPERATING.

AFTER THE WAR, EVERY EFFORT HAD BEEN MADE TO RAISE FUNDS TO HELP MEET THE COST OF BUILDING A NEW AND LARGER SCHOOL, WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY OPENED IN 1959.

IN DUE COURSE, PROVISION FOR SECONDARY CLASSES WAS ADDED TO THE PRIMARY INSTITUTION, AND NAMED AFTER MR HO CHUEN YIU, ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN OF THE FORMER GENERATION OF NEW TERRITORIES' LEADERS.

DR HAYES SAID: +FOR 20 YEARS THE NEW SCHOOL SERVED THE CHILDREN OF TSUEN WAN VILLAGES UNTIL, IN 1979, THE BUILDING HAD TO BE DEMOLISHED FOR THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY EXTENSION.

+ IT WAS REPLACED BY THESE FINE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL BUILDINGS IN THE NEW SHEK WAI KOK ESTATE, LEASED FROM THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, AND FITTED OUT WITH A SPECIAL GOVERNMENT GRANT.

+TODAY'S CEREMONY MARKS A NEW AND IMPORTANT PHASE IN THE EDUCATION OF TSUEN WAN'S OLDER POPULATION, AND IS AN APPROPRIATE POINT FOR TAKING STOCK OF PAST ACHIEVEMENTS, HE SAID.

AMONG ITS FORMER PUPILS ARE MANY ABLE PERSONS WHO HAVE LONG PLAYED A LEADING PART IN COMMUNITY WORK FOR THE NEW TOWN POPULATION.

THEY HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY COULD BE MET, AND THEY ARE ABLE TO INFLUENCE FELLOW CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AL IKE THROUGH THE IR DEEP KNOWLEDGE, THE IR KEEN INTEREST IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND GENERAL ABILITY.

+ I CONSIDER THAT IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT THEY HAVE DONE SO WELL, SINCE SOUND TEACHING AND THE TRADITIONAL MORAL PRECEPTS INCULCATED IN THE IR HOMES HAVE COMBINED TO PRODUCE A TYPE OF PERSON MUCH NEEDED

IN THE NEW TOWN TODAY,+ DR HAYES SAID.

AT PRESENT, TSUEN WAN PUBLIC SCHOOL HAS 16 CLASSES AND 640 STUDENTS- HO CHUEN YIU MEMORIAL COLLEGE HAS 26 CLASSES AND 1 200 STUDENTS.