The ‘Yew Wah School of Hong Kong’ exemplifies China’s new model of modernized education to the world.

(Hong Kong, 16 February 2023) The Education Bureau (EDB) of the Hong Kong SAR Government (the Government) announced today that Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network (YCYW) has been accepted as the most suitable applicant body to establish a Mainland curriculum non-profit private school under the allocation of a greenfield site in Tin Shui Wai adjacent to the Wetland Park. Named as the ‘Yew Wah School of Hong Kong’ (YWS), YCYW will actively collaborate with the Government in its planning to embark on a new era and journey by exemplifying China’s highest standards of education to the world.

“Being one of the key drivers of innovation, the establishment and development of YWS will demonstrate the international appeal, influence, and leadership of China’s modernized education model,” said Dr Esther Chan, YCYW’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer (K-12 Education).

In accordance with the EDB’s plan, YWS will provide primary and secondary Mainland curriculum-based education for children of Mainland families who come to Hong Kong for work or investment. These students may return to their original places of residence in the Mainland to continue their studies depending on their needs. 

The establishment of YWS represents a vigorous response to the Hong Kong Government's Policy Address which calls for "competing for enterprises” and “competing for talents”, through the attraction and retention of Mainland talents and investments, in order to strengthen Hong Kong’s competitiveness.

Besides having years of experience in implementing Mainland curriculum-based education, YCYW has also met the Government’s requirements and earned recognition for its good governance, effective management system, solid financial base and outstanding school proposal.

Concurring with its 90th anniversary, Dr Chan stated that the YCYW Network has once again set a precedent in education with the establishment of YWS. By leveraging on its over 30 years of experience in running schools and offering education in the Mainland, YCYW Network will offer programmes covering the nine-year compulsory education as well as the upper secondary levels. 

Subject to the progress of construction works, YWS is expected to commence operation as early as the 2026/27 school year, with around 900 places catering primarily for students from the Mainland, as well as local students who wish to pursue further education in the Mainland. YWS will also provide transfer services to all Mainland schools within the YCYW Network in order to facilitate the relocation of students.

Last but not least, Dr Chan emphasised that education is a common cause for the whole of society, and it remains the YCYW core mission, which has been upheld for nearly a hundred years. YCYW will continue to build successfully on their predecessors’ endeavours, contributing to the development of a global hub for talents and innovation.

About Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network (YCYW)

YCYW is a global education pioneer with roots in Hong Kong, China. It seeks to combine the best of Chinese and Western cultures to create a truly distinctive spectrum of educational provision. Its mission is to nurture compassionate global citizens for the building of a better world.

Madam Tsang Chor-hang was a visionary and education pioneer who founded the first Yew Chung School and Kindergarten in Hong Kong in 1932. In 1970, her daughter Dr Betty Chan Po-king joined Yew Chung to assist in its management. As a dedicated researcher in early childhood education, Dr Chan put forth an innovative concept of ‘learning through play’.  In 1985, Yew Chung organised the ‘Pillars of Tomorrow’, an Early Childhood Education Exhibition in Beijing, which was officiated by Ms Kang Keqing, the then Chairlady of the Beijing Soong Ching Ling Foundation. In 1989, Yew Chung collaborated with UNICEF to organise the world's first academic forum on early childhood education, promoting exchanges between early childhood education communities in the Mainland, Hong Kong and around the world.

In the 1990s, Yew Chung was invited to Shanghai and Beijing to run schools for expatriates in the Mainland. Following in her mother's footsteps, Dr Betty Chan Po-king and her husband, Professor Paul Yip Kwok-wah, later founded the Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network, nurturing Chinese and expatriate students to contribute to the international stage.

As YCYW celebrates its 90th anniversary milestone in 2022, its educational pedigree  encompasses the entire spectrum from early childhood to tertiary education including Yew Chung International Schools, Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, Yew Wah International Education Schools, Yew Wah International Education Kindergartens and Yew Wah Infant and Toddler Discovery Centres in cities covering Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao, Yantai, Tongxiang, Silicon Valley, USA and Somerset, UK. Each year, YCYW provides quality education and development opportunities for more than 13,000 teachers and students around the world.

About Yew Wah School of Hong Kong (YWS)

YWS is located in Tin Shui Wai, part of the Northern Metropolis, adjacent to the Wetland Park and Hung Shui Kiu, connecting the Hong Kong SAR  and the Mainland. It is the first Mainland Curriculum school in the Hong Kong SAR offering a 12-year Mainland primary to secondary curriculum, as well as upper secondary and international programmes. It will enable children from Mainland families to come to Hong Kong for a curriculum that links up with the Mainland's education system upon their return to the Mainland. It will also serve children from Hong Kong SAR families who plan to move to the Mainland for further development. Over the past 90 years, YCYW has remained committed to its educational mission. YWS Hong Kong is set to model the modernisation of Chinese education to the world.

For media enquiries : media@ycyw.com