Club scholarship honours 28 students for their outstanding achievements

25 March 2010

In recognition of their outstanding academic performance and commitment to serve the community, 28 tertiary students were awarded The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships at a presentation ceremony held today (25 March).  The grant will support the academic expenses and living costs of the scholarship recipients for three years.

At today's ceremony, the scholarship recipients pledged to continue serving the community and contributing to the society under the witness of Club Steward Philip N L Chen, Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Executive Director, Charities, Legal & Corporate Secretariat, Douglas So and representatives from the city's tertiary institutions, as well as families and friends of the scholars.

Mr Chen, who is also the Chairman of John Swire & Sons (China) Ltd., gave a speech taking the theme of horse racing and used it to illustrate his unique views on life.  He pointed out to the scholars that the demands and strategies of horse racing resembled many challenges that they might encounter in life.  He advised them to prepare well for those challenges, keep themselves in the best possible psychological condition, and seize every moment and opportunity that comes their way.  He also encouraged them to learn from their failures.

"My secondary school results were not outstanding and I didn't get a first class honour for my first degree," Mr Chen told them.  "I only became hard-working after I started my job. But it's never too late once we are determined to achieve.  I believe people can commit to work as well as enjoy life. We should work hard and play hard, and a bright future is just ahead of us."  Mr Chen also noted that horse racing was a meaningful sport because the revenue generated from the race meetings would be used for charity purposes.

The 28 scholarship recipients for academic year 2009/10 - 19 from Hong Kong and nine from the Mainland - are all first-degree students at one of Hong Kong's eight UGC-funded tertiary institutions and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA).  They were nominated by their respective institutions on the basis of outstanding academic ability, as well as active participation in community services.  Each student receives a grant totalling around HK$290,000 over the three years of his or her study to cover tuition fees, academic expenses and living costs, subject to continued academic excellence and participation in community services.

Apart from setting up the Scholarship Scheme, the Club through its Charities Trust has provided funding to establish the Jockey Club Scholars Alumni Association. Each year, this unique cross-institution and cross-faculty alumni organises community service programmes for the needy. By supporting the scholars and encouraging them to make good use of their skills and talents, the Club hopes to instil a strong sense of commitment to the society in them. One of the Alumni Association's initiatives that has proved especially successful is a project for local secondary schools called "Schoolala", which helps students realise their goals and dreams through a range of workshops and activities.

Throughout the years, the Club has attached great importance to Hong Kong's education and made donations according to the changing needs of society. Back in the 1950s and 60s, the Club set up education funds and made donations to establish many primary and secondary schools, so that children who used to go to the temporary schools on the rooftops of buildings could have a much better environment to study. In the 70s, the Club also funded the construction of various tertiary institutions. In recent years, it has set up The Hong Kong Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund to subsidise students participating in extra-curricular activities and support a number of projects for young people, including SkyHigh Creative Partners: A Jockey Club Initiative for Innovative Minds in Tin Shui Wai to help young people realise their artistic potential and creativity and The HKFYG Jockey Club LEAD Centre to promote young people's interest in engineering, arts and design.

About The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarship Scheme

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarship Scheme was established in academic year 1998/99 by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, originally as a 10-year project.  It aims to provide an average of 27 scholarships a year for local and Mainland students to pursue three-year, first-degree courses at the eight UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong and the HKAPA.  Each scholar receives about HK$290,000 to cover tuition, academic expenses and living costs during his or her three-year course.  To dovetail with the Government's switch to a new structure for senior secondary and higher education, better known as the 3-3-4 system, the Scholarship Scheme has now been extended to the end of academic year 2011/12, the last academic year before the new four-year curriculum is introduced at Hong Kong's tertiary institutions.  The Club's total contribution for the Scholarship Scheme will amount to HK$107 million.

Scholars are chosen by their respective tertiary institutions on the basis of outstanding academic ability, community service and other talents.  Renewal of the scholarship is dependent upon the level of each student's performance.  Up to and including the 2009/10 academic year, 291 students have been awarded the scholarship.

125th Anniversary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2009/10 season.  Over the past 125 years, it has become one of Hong Kong's best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city's major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city's growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.