2011年，我在 香港華仁 書院推行 Vocablearning 學習計劃的唯一原因〔現稱 SolidMemory 〕，是我希望不要再見到「中一新生笑著來，中七畢業生哭著走」的悲劇重覆又重覆的發生1。我曾面對面向二百多位學生及家長承諾，此計劃能為每位參與者帶來一個大學資助學位〔First-Year First-Degree Offer〕。
後來有一新生在網上跟我辯論說，學生放榜時，應只是流下離別不捨的眼淚。該新生對事情有這樣錯誤的認知，我並不怪責他，畢竟，在之前的十多年，他並沒有和我一起每年都在現場見證悲劇的發生2。
2011年的Vocablearning學習計劃，在絕大部份家長支持的前題下給校方終止了，新生只完成了個多月的練習。所有之前收集到的數據均證明成果異常理想3，譚校長卻訛稱是因為無法證明計劃的成效而終止計劃。經常顛倒是非，是華仁管理層的強項4。
2017年，當他們畢業的時候，我收到了以下來自畢業生家長的電郵：
| 葉sir您好! 我是XXX媽媽. 我終於提起勇氣給閣下這電郵. 是遲來一年的感謝! XXX在中五的暑假開始走入大型補習社, 是要面對現實. XXX爸爸推動他要在華仁以外求教. 他收到DSE成績後說: 葉sir 說的十分準確: "到港華的, 是笑着來哭着走". 他只能取得5XXXX, 未能去心儀的科目. 他選擇了的XXX, 只能去XXX國就讀XXX年的 BXx. , XXX University. 他遲遲未有探你, 是説沒有面對閣下的勇氣, 因為你無私的送給他無價的經驗和知識, 他今天未有報答的機會. 華仁今年的成績強差人意, 中文只有XX人是三級以上, 而2 以下更多得很. 我也不太明白. XXX說, 閣下的網路學習是一種長久學習及記憶工具, 就算在大學也希望用來溫習. 其實他雖然沒有探望你, 但一直也有提及閣下的思維,我們實在感謝. 無意打擾閣下, 只想送上感謝, XXX的理想要在外國完成. 祝您生活愉快, 身體健康! XXX媽媽敬上 |
2013年當蘇校長剛上任的時侯，我給了他一個挑戰題目「尋找一所收生與 香港華仁 相約，而學術表現亦與 香港華仁 相約或較 香港華仁 差的學校」。
獎品是我將永遠放棄我的拯救行動。如 香港華仁 沒有嚴重的學術表現問題，這理應是一個簡單的題目。可惜，蘇校長連一所這樣的學校也找不到。明年，蘇校長應該要退休了。現在，亦是重啟整個拯救行動的時候。
過去多年，校方都將珍貴的精力花在尋找代罪羔羊身上。將學生表現不濟，歸咎於收生質素問題、家庭教育問題等，於是產生了要轉直資，收「好」學生的想法，要華小背黑鍋。校方在諮詢中並不諱言，轉直資是為了生源，避免英中下車危機4。
要是收生質素是決定性因素。都是差不多的學生，為什麼在不花任何人一毛錢的情況下，一年的訓練能將大學入學率提升50%1。田徑隊能在浮沉了廿多年的第三組別，不花兩年時間，一躍回到第一組別並拿下越野賽團體冠軍？
顯而易見，對有能力的學校，收生質素，並非決定性，為學生創造價值的能力，更為重要。
另外，收生質素問題，實質源自華中。選擇華小的，基本都是為了華中。如華中具足夠吸引力，華小自然能收到好學生。反之亦然。收生質素，從來都是由供求關係決定。香港華仁書院 從不是唯一擁有直屬小學的學校，亦從不是唯一受校網限制收生的學校。即使問題真的出在華小，在過去40年，華小的校監都是由耶穌會士出任，很難說耶穌會5對華小的辦學質素沒有責任。
相反，灣仔貴為全港人均資產最高之地區，擁有全港數一數二的生源6。問題反而是，為什麼越來越少灣仔區家長選擇 華仁，而九龍塘區家長卻繼續選擇喇沙。反而有人擔心，很多東區家長也不會擇 華仁 7。
巿場選擇自有巿場選擇的原因，我們只能解讀為這原因並沒有在喇沙這津校身上發生，而在 華仁書院 身上發生了。
如你準備選擇 華仁 或已選擇 華仁 8，如無意外，學生在畢業時的經歷，將與過去二十年畢業的學生相約，請為這日子的來臨早作準備。如要了解更多9，請多找幾個在過去二十年畢業10的學生問問。
愈顯主榮
葉金豪敬上
香港華仁書院 (Wah Yan College Hong Kong) 1985年畢業生、前教師、前校董、前副校長
2018年8月
註 : 本文章在發表前三星期，初稿曾交蘇校長過目。在刊登後，蘇校長卻單方面聲稱，本文章引用數據有嚴重錯誤。本人曾要求蘇校長，指出錯處，以作更正。蘇校長卻稱無責任指出錯處，亦無責任提供任何數據作更正用途。
備註 :
多年來，我一直有嘗試接觸管理層，以結束這無盡頭的悲劇。校方的回應很簡單。計劃不能推行，不是因為它成效不果，而是因為我令很多人不高興。另外，華仁書院 已有很多其他的優勢，不需要這些幫助，不需要好成績11，亦不需要對話12。
我對這兩點回應都非常同意。我令很多人不高興，因為我在嘗試改變維持了廿多年的現狀。要是學生成績大幅提高，豈不是有人要為過去的低水平負責。另外，以 華仁書院 的名氣，無論運作如何不濟，學校都不會遇到收生困難，亦有資源每年投入數百萬，花在只有宣傳作用的小班教學〔最近因籌款不足，要開始裁減老師了(2020年)〕。只苦了學生、家長和老師。
如你並不認識任何近二十年畢業的華仁仔，你亦可嘗試在每年DSE放榜的日子〔七月十日左右〕，到學校門前跟剛領到成績單的同學交談，雖然他們很可能並沒有心情回答你任何提問。
「假如自由真有什麼意義，那應該就是指把人們不想聽的話說給他們聽。」
瑪竇福音〔5-46 〕：
你們若只愛那愛你們的人，你們還有什麼賞報呢？稅吏不是也這樣作嗎？
18 comments
Skip to comment form
Dear Sir,
So what should the parents do and how to choose a right secondary school for our sons? I believe you still love Wah Yan. Is Wah Yan College a good choice for Wa Yan Primary School Boys?
Author
It depends on what you are looking for.
Wah Yan College will definitely give students a less pressurized school environment but it should be coupled with a more effective teaching-learning paradigm in my opinion.
If your son is a really high academic achiever himself and does not require much support from the school or he doesn’t mind academic achievement, he may consider Wah Yan College. It will give him enough free time to pursue academic excellence by himself and enough room for him to explore other things.
Personally, I didn’t choose Wah Yan for my two boys because they are not that type of student and I understood the situation of Wah Yan College too well. The current principals of Wah Yan Primary School and Wah Yan College Hong Kong also made similar choices for their sons.
My decision puzzled my wife a lot before she read all the data and news clips I presented to her.
At the moment, I am also living in the Wanchai school district. As both of my sons fell into the Band 1 category when they graduated from the primary school, I picked Queen’s College, Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School, Clementi Secondary School and Tang King Po School as the top choices for them.
I don’t know which school would be suitable for a particular Wah Yan Primary School Boy and the available choices will also change when the primary school move to North Point next year.
Parents need to understand their own son and available choices more before making the decision.
If the primary school agrees, I shall try my best to help them so that their students will have more available choices in the future.
貨比三家的選校方法
我想問而家轉左新校長（Davis Chan),見到學校宣揚宗旨，要學生自我多反省，再改…..好似令到學生變得很嚴謹很嚴肅，人人像一條崩緊的弦線..
請問版主對新校長有什麼看法？
Author
我只跟新校長交談過一次，暫時沒甚麼特別看法。但由於問題的根源並非出自校長這麼簡單，除非他有驚人的能力，我對他能解決問題沒甚麼期望。
華仁衰落的原因
疫情過去後，我會認真重啟我的拯救行動。
Dear Mr.Yip.
I’m a F.2 students from sjacs and our school has a effective progression in academic,in 2012 our school is a band2C school ,now it is band 1C school Although this is quite good,I want to applicate more well secondary,and my average mark is about 73,do you think that WYHK is a good choice for me
Dear sir
I am a student from sjacs,and my position is no.5 meanwhile average mark 73,wyhk is a good choice for me？
Author
I don’t have a definite answer to this question. I can only refer you to the article http://www.savingthewahyanites.net/?page_id=1537
How do you score your school comparing with Wah Yan ?
wyhk still consolidate in band one ,and is it dwindling ？
Author
This is not a question that I concerned much. Because of the administrative arrangement of the Hong Kong education system, Band 1, 2, 3 students always exist no matter how individual school performs. Competing for Band 1 students solely for the well-being of a school will only worsen the situation.
I only concern what value a school can create for its students.
Referring to the article, How effective?, the academic performance of Wah Yan is below the market average by certain extent. From all the evidence I gathered in all these years, I have confidence that my approach could allow the Wahyanites to outrun the market by 50% and bring satisfaction to every Wahyanite in their learning.
That mean Mr yip doesn’t worry about wyhk become a CMI
Author
As long as the school can teach the students well, it doesn’t matter to the society.
Mr. F. W. Lai is a graduate of King’s College. He might have sent his son to King’s.
I studied in Wah Yan College Hong Kong between 1985 and 1992. I felt that I was studying in a band 3 or 4 school. In forms 4 &5, only one class (S1) consists of bright students. The other three classes were very poor. I did not receive the help or support I expected from the teachers. Other students were talkative in class and did not pay attention to what the teacher said. They read newspapers and magazines irrelevant to the subject matter. I found it difficult to concentrate in class. I only got 1 C in Maths in HKCEE and failed my A-levels. It took me another 3 years to get the grades required for university, including 2 years at a college in the UK. While I was in the UK college, I noticed that a number of students from Hong Kong were also under-achievers in their original schools. They failed their HKCEE and came to the UK to repeat form 5 and take the GCSE and then the A-levels. They got straight As and went to top universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. Wah Yan’s problems also exist in other top schools as well.
We stand with you solemnly Mr. Yip
Dear Mr. Yip,
It has been 9 years since we (I) first sent you an email supporting Vocab-learning as a ‘powerless’ student. Suffice to say, it was our immense joy and honour to stumble upon and browse your website today, frankly quite coincidentally, we had the random thought of searching for WYHK on Google to listen to our school song to reminisce the fond memories and there your website showed up on the results.
Back in 2011, when there was a plethora of complaints against Vocab-learning, the School’s decision perplexed us since Vocab-learning really did ‘compelled’ us to remember the vocabulary and churn it out in our writings. Deplorably, the ‘ decadence’ of Wah Yan, can be attributed to the exact indolence of BOTH students and teachers, this statement hurts OUR pride because it is the absolute truth. Throughout the Six years of studying in Wah Yan, Chinese has always been a subject that most of us, if not all shunned and reviled. Subsequent to the introduction of HKDSE, the teachers , who had a wealth of experience in teaching HKALE seemingly repudiated the need for change and regurgitated teaching materials for us without even attempting to adapt to HKDSE. As a result, many of us were bewildered by the sheer ‘difficulty’ of these materials, and these teachers would merely reply us by claiming ‘It’s hard so it’ll be conducive to your performance’. Admittedly, English was NEVER an obstacle to us to begin with, Chinese was, in 2017 we had quite the ‘humiliating’ passing rate of HKDSE Chinese. Nevertheless, we must still humbly pay our repects to the English Teachers that had inspired and taught 6W,Y,C.
Mr Yip, we are elated to see that the stress and frustration that you have surely experienced during this , near a decade-long arduous journey did not deter you one bit from speaking up and saving WYHK. We stand with you and you have our utmost respect and support. Stay safe and do not let that unwavering determination of yours fade, Yip Sir.
Yours sincerely,
A group of 2017′ Old boys.
Author
Thank you very much for your support. I just want to make the world better for everyone.
Mr Yip,
Not only WY is deteriorating, so does Marymount. School management is the main reason which affecting the schools. Lots of Marymount girls left school for a better learning environment n future. The daughters of the alumni are either not choosing the school or leaving the school within the ten years. We have a common understanding that these schools 在食老本 – 很久以前出過叻人
I was one of the first students to use vocablearning. It is a good initiative but your obsession with creating drama and playing the victim-saviour card for no good reason is unbearable. It has been years since you have problems with Wahyan. Move on with your life and don’t embarrass yourself further. You can’t disentangle your complaints with your self-promotion, so even if those complaints are legitimate you have no credibility.
Read a book. The “Scientific method” will not solve your personality disorder.
Author
Thank you very much for your comment. “Obsession” is a term with certain negative connotation in Chinese culture but a blessing from the eye of Benjamin Franklin (Wiki).
Many Chinese see “Obsession” as a personality disorder but he saw it as a core element of success. The most important thing is what one is obsessing of.
The vocablearning project has already turned into a multi-million dollar business that is capable of alleviating the multi-billion dollar problem of cross-generation poverty of our society in an unprecedented way.
I have no regret for what I am doing. As my business is running smoothly now, it should be the time to fix the belated problem of Wah Yan. Alas, the pandemic would probably defer my plan for another 1-3 years.