Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung

Founded in the year 1926, Munsang College began with the operation of just one class at each junior secondary level. Expansion followed with the setting up of the primary and kindergarten sections in the year 1927 and the senior secondary section in 1928. With the strong professionalism, dedication and visionary leadership of the management, the schools have become one of the leading education bodies in Hong Kong, currently accommodating a total of about 3,500 students.

Guided by the mottoes of "Light and Life" and "All For One, One For All", the Munsang schools have earned an enviable reputation of offering a high quality, rigorous academic programme in a caring environment. Since their establishment nearly a century ago, the schools have nurtured generations of prominent leaders who serve the community with remarkable achievements across all sectors of the community.

Our young people are the pillar of Hong Kong's future, they are our hopes as well. Education therefore plays a crucial role in unleashing and realising their potential. The current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is totally committed to investing in education. In its first year after inauguration in the year 2017, the Government increased by $3.6 billion recurrent resources to introduce a package of measures to increase additional manpower, funding and hardware to improve our quality of education. Last year, another $2 billion of recurrent funding was allocated to further enhance teacher development, kindergarten, and integrated as well as life-wide learning. In tandem, the Quality Education Fund also set aside $3 billion for school-based curriculum development, student support measures and other improvement initiatives.

This year, the total expenditure on education will increase remarkably to $124 billion, representing a surge of 12% growth over last year. Of this, the recurrent expenditure on education will increase to $90.6 billion, representing a 6%. Over the past 10 years, recurrent expenditure on education has increased by 77%, with an average growth rate of 6.6% per year. This massive investment in education fully demonstrates the Hong Kong Government’s commitment in nurturing talent for the long-term development of Hong Kong.

I always give this example in my speeches: for every $100 we spend every day, roughly $21 goes to education, $19.70 goes to social welfare, and $17.50 goes to medical services. So in other words, education, welfare and medical services in that order - and this has been almost number one, the lion's share of government spending all along. This is very simple. Hong Kong has no resources, except our people. Investing in human capital is the only way we keep Hong Kong going. If we do not invest in our own young people, Hong Kong has absolutely no future at all. So education is a very, very important policy area. It is an important investment for Hong Kong in the future. While the Government plays an active role in promoting quality education, success in education requires the collaborative efforts of all who care about our next generation. Munsang College, and Munsang School as well, have all along been our close partners in promoting whole-person education for our next generation, with the aim of nurturing them into quality citizens who are socially responsible and equipped with a love for Hong Kong, a sense of national identity, and of course an international outlook.

Ladies and gentlemen, the completion of this seven-storey new teaching complex ties in well with the Government's latest new initiative in enhancing the support to schools in widening students' learning experiences. Indeed, education is founded on dedication, passion and commitment. The Munsang schools have been a shining example in cultivating our future generations for Hong Kong and neighbouring regions.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung gave these remarks at the Munsang College Topping-out Ceremony for its newly developed teaching complex on May 31.