The OUHK presented over HK$8.2 million in financial awards to 856 students at this year's Scholarship and Bursary Awards Presentation.
OUHK Council Chairman Mr Michael Wong (sixth from left) and President Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong (seventh from left) present scholarships to student awardees and encourage them to keep up the good work and strive for academic excellence.
Scholarship recipients Mr Nelson Lam (left) and Ms Fion Ng (centre) share their learning experience and express their appreciation to the donors at the ceremony.
Student awardees take pictures with their family and friends to share the joy after the ceremony.
The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) presented more than HK$8.2 million in financial awards to some 800 students at the 2018/19 Scholarship and Bursary Awards Presentation held last Friday (30 Aug). Among the recipients, 463 students received scholarships or course prizes in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements while 393 students were given bursary grant to relieve their financial burden. More than 400 award recipients, their families and friends, along with many donors attended the ceremony.
In his welcoming speech, Chairman of the OUHK Council Mr Michael Wong Yick-kam thanked donors for their ardent support towards the University over the years. “Established by the Government 30 years ago, the OUHK began as a distance learning institution and started to offer full-time programmes in 2001. At present, our full-time student population has increased to nearly 10,000. To cater to the expansion of the University's development, we have further extended the offer of scholarships and course prizes to include full-time students. More resources have also been invested to enhance student support and services, encouraging them to participate in exchanges and competitions, pursue further studies so as to better equip themselves and develop their potential.”
Mr Michael Wong added that 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the OUHK and a wide array of celebration activities have been held since January to showcase to the public the University's growth and transformation. He said that more exciting anniversary events would be held in the coming months. He looked forward to the active participation of the community and their continued support.
President of the OUHK Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong congratulated students at the ceremony and encouraged them to live up to their full potential. He hoped that they would become role models for their fellow schoolmates and contribute to society and their alma mater when they are able to give back in the future. In addition, Prof. Wong mentioned that the University has achieved positive results in the past fundraising campaigns. He expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all the donors, charitable organizations, business and professional bodies, saying that many of them have been supporting the University for over 20 years. Their contribution will help the University to get extra resources to enhance campus facilities, develop new programmes, strengthen student support services and facilitate research projects.
Echoing with the Council Chairman, Prof. Wong also invited the friends and supporters of the University to celebrate the illustrious achievements of the OUHK by joining the University's upcoming 30th anniversary events, such as the Open Day and the Anniversary Banquet to be held on 20 – 21 September and 5 December respectively.
The 834 OUHK award recipients of the Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme (SPSS) of the Hong Kong Government were also invited to join the ceremony. Mr Nelson Lam Chak-yu is one of the recipients awarded the “Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme Outstanding Performance Scholarship” and the “CMA Testing and Certification Scholarship” for
his impressive academic achievement. A final-year student of the “Bachelor of Science with Honours in Testing and Certification” programme, Nelson was once overwhelmed by the fierce competition among his secondary schoolmates. The close relationship between teachers and students as well as the open discussion atmosphere at the OUHK helped him gradually discover the joy of learning and achieve academic improvement.
This is the second time that Nelson is awarded scholarships and he is very thankful to his donors for their generous donation and recognition. The scholarships have boosted up his confidence and motivated him to set a more ambitious goal. He plans to make good use of the scholarship money to get prepared for the postgraduate study after graduation and invite his mother for a trip as a token of appreciation for her support all along.
Another scholarship recipient is Miss Fion Ng Kwai-fong who is awarded the “CMB Wing Lung Bank Student Assistance Fund Scholarship”. Belonging to the “post-60s generation”, Fion had no chance to receive higher education after completing her high school studies. However, her dream to pursue university education remained intact. Fion decided to enroll in the OUHK part-time business administration programme in 2016 to achieve her life goal. Having left school for so many years, she encountered quite a number of challenges and difficulties at the beginning of her studies. She managed to overcome them gradually and achieve remarkable results with her persistence and help from her family and classmates.
This is the first time Fion receives a scholarship from the University. She said that the award is an important recognition of her hard work. She sincerely thanked her donor, the University and her family members for their enthusiastic support. She also hoped that scholarship and bursary donors will continue to support the University to encourage more people to pursue further studies for self-advancement.
About the OUHK:
Established by the Government in 1989, The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) has developed into a full-fledged university providing high quality and flexible university education at various levels to secondary school graduates and working adults. As a dynamic and innovative university, the OUHK currently offers about 220 programmes to nearly 10,000 full-time students and about 9,000 part-time students. Its mission is to advance learning, knowledge and research that meet students' learning aspirations and society's talent needs, focusing on practical and professional programmes.
OUHK comprises five Schools, i.e. School of Arts and Social Sciences, Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, School of Education and Languages, School of Nursing and Health Studies, and School of Science and Technology. The Li Ka Shing Institute of Professional and Continuing Education (LiPACE) provides lifelong learning opportunities by offering full-time sub-degree programmes, community learning and professional programmes. OUHK website: www.ouhk.edu.hk.
