Alumni of Rural Training College return to Fanling Lodge

With a history of over 60 years, Fanling Lodge witnessed the early development of education in Hong Kong.

Right after World War II, there was a very strong demand for education in the territory. In 1946, the then Governor, Sir Mark Young, made Fanling Lodge available as the provisional campus of the Rural Training College (RTC). Despite the hard times, the College’s principal and teachers remained committed to their mission of nurturing quality people for society. In 1951, RTC established an Alumni Association to contribute continuously to education and the public good.

Earlier on, members of the Association expressed to me their wish to visit the lodge. I of course welcomed their suggestion. The visit was to take place on September 22, but regrettably it had to be rescheduled due to a tropical cyclone. This afternoon, I received the Association’s representatives at Fanling Lodge so that they could take a walk down memory lane. Unfortunately, the Association’s permanent honorary advisor, Mr Fung Hon-man, was indisposed today. Now 100 years old, he is the only staff member who taught at the College throughout its entire history of eight years. He nurtured a number of outstanding teachers during his career and is a highly respected figure in the education sector. I hope that he will recover soon and revisit this place some other day.

The development of a society depends on the quality of its people, which in turn depends on the quality of education. Our front-line teachers have a particularly important role to play in educating the next generation. The Government will continue to support the education sector and work with all teachers in nurturing our children and youths.

November 17, 2013