Social demands and expectations of education change over time.  Especially in the 21^st Century, with the knowledge transfer mechanisms and effectiveness changing rapidly, the nurturing of students’ independent learning, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity and imagination, collaboration and communication, as well as proper values, has become a global trend in education.

In 2016, the Foundation and The D. H. Chen Foundation jointly supported the “Quality Schools in Hong Kong” project of the Hong Kong Institute of Educational Research of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which aims at optimizing the development of 12 subsidised secondary and primary schools. This includes helping the schools plan and implement whole-person education and foster a culture of learning through cross-curricular integration of academic learning, community engagement and physical and aesthetic development.

Located in Kowloon and the New Territories, the 12 participating schools are all socio-economically disadvantaged schools with fewer development resources yet great potentials because of the good learning ability and attitude of the students, as well as the positivity and excellence of the management and teachers. Featuring a “comprehensive school improvement” approach, the project facilitates the integration and implementation of whole-person education by resolving the dilemma of whole-person development against academic achievement. Cross-curricular learning model, school-based service learning and joint-services student leadership program are developed under the project, benefitting more than 10,000 students and 600 teachers.