ISF: Serving the ‘Village’

Aug 25, 2023

Starting a new school year is always something of a step into the unknown. We plan and prepare, but until our students enter the campus for the all-important ‘first day’ in school, there is always uncertainty, tension, and of course excitement. We have enjoyed a steady, largely unremarkable start to the new academic year at ISF. It is ‘unremarkable’ in the sense that, unusually, we have experienced the complete absence of any weather-related disruptions to our first few days back at school! I am most grateful for the optimal conditions prevailing at this time, as we set about establishing the study and work routines that will guide our learning over the coming months.

As in the past, we commenced with a series of celebrations and assemblies to mark the start of a new year in school, gatherings that offered words of welcome and encouragement to both new and returning students. We also welcomed new members of the teaching faculty to ISF with a series of induction events to help them settle into their new professional home. The enduring commitment of both families and faculty to our school is clearly reflected in the healthy retention rates in both students and teachers.

One of my high priority tasks at present is the preparation of an application to renew our ‘service agreement’ with the Hong Kong Government. Some readers may be a little curious about the need for ISF to enter in an agreement to provide service to the Hong Kong Government. In short, the service agreement is ‘contract’ that allows us to operate a school on the site of the former Kong Sin Wan Village, once the home of many hundreds of families in our small valley on the western side of Hong Kong Island. With the development of the Cyberport site in the 1990s, along with its associated land reclamation and the relocation of traditional local residents, a piece of land was set aside to establish an independent school that would offer a high-quality education to the children of Hong Kong families. The land on which ISF is built was originally made available through a ‘Deed of Grant’, but it remains the property of the Hong Kong Government, and by extension, the Hong Kong community, hence the need for a service agreement to ensure the fulfilment of this intent.

The service agreement, appropriately and reasonably, sets out the standards of performance expected of a school granted this privilege. ISF is essentially a school for Hong Kong families: at least 70% of our enrolment must be citizens and permanent residents; we are consistently close to 90% in this metric. We must also meet the current ‘minimum number’ of enrolled students: 2,000. Again, we have consistently met or exceeded this benchmark during the current service agreement (2020-25). Recognizing the need to support families with more modest means, we are also required to set aside 10% of tuition annually to provide financial support to deserving students and families in need. We have been able to meet this requirement and surpass it through the provision of direct financial aid and through the generous and on-going support of our School Sponsoring Body: The Independent Schools Foundation. International accreditation is also a requirement to ensure that ISF students are educated to the highest standards globally.

Accordingly, there are expectations placed on us that reflect the interests and aspirations of the entire Hong Kong community. I am particularly mindful on a daily basis of the sacrifice made by the former residents of Kong Sin Wan – Telegraph Bay – who gave up their homes to provide a space for our children to learn and grow. The spirit of this sacrifice of home and hearth is perhaps captured with literal meaning in the saying: it takes a village to raise a child. We did in fact ‘take’ a village – Kong Sin Wan Village – to found a school to help raise our children. This ongoing contract with the Hong Kong Government therefore places a burden of obligation on ISF to serve the community with commitment, generosity, care, and respect.

As we celebrate the end of two decades of service in the field of education, we must not forget the gift of the ‘village’ given to our children.

Dr. Malcolm Pritchard

Head of School

(sources: http://www.gstatic.com/hostedimg/2f5976903aebca93_large )