St. Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School Revives Old Campus Ties Through Service Learning at Former Site Now Simple Public Housing
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The former school building of St. Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School in Kwun Tong, vacant for 15 years after the school's relocation in 2011, has been transformed into Hong Kong's first simple public housing project converted from a secondary school campus. Principal Pan Wing-keung and teachers recently revisited the site, which has been repurposed as Choi Shek Lane Simple Public Housing with 150 units operated by Yan Chai Hospital. The school is now exploring service learning partnerships with the housing project to maintain the emotional connection between the institution and its historic campus.
Key Points
- The former school at 61 Kwun Tong Road served as the campus from 1958 to 2011, spanning 53 years of the school's history
- After relocation, government attempts to repurpose the site for Ping Shek Catholic Primary School and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority both failed
- In 2020, police discovered homemade explosives including materials possibly stolen during the 2019 PolyU conflict inside the abandoned building
- Choi Shek Lane Simple Public Housing, operated by Yan Chai Hospital, provides 150 units for grassroots families and elderly residents
- The school plans service learning activities including student visits to elderly residents and tutoring for children from low-income families
Why It Matters
This conversion represents a pioneering model for repurposing abandoned school premises to address Hong Kong's housing shortage while preserving institutional heritage. The service learning initiative demonstrates how educational institutions can maintain emotional connections with historic campuses through community engagement, potentially serving as a template for similar projects involving other vacant school buildings across the territory .
This conversion represents a pioneering model for repurposing abandoned school premises to address Hong Kong's housing shortage while preserving institutional heritage. The service learning initiative demonstrates how educational institutions can maintain emotional connections with historic campuses through community engagement, potentially serving as a template for similar projects involving other vacant school buildings across the territory .