Hong Kong pupils’ resilience amid the coronavirus pandemic to be the key focus of 2021 Student of the Year awards

Hundreds of secondary school pupils are expected to compete for 11 awards in nine categories, with students expected to demonstrate academic excellence and contributions to the community

Advisory board members for the awards, organised by the Post and sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said shortlisted pupils should demonstrate resilience, passion and curiosity

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(Second Left to right) Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges and Post CEO Gary Liu at the 2019 Student of the Year awards. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 10:00am, 22 Mar 2021Updated: 10:00am, 22 Mar 2021

Resilience, overcoming obstacles and pushing through hardships amid the Covid-19 pandemic will be the focus of this year’s Student of the Year awards, which are celebrating their 40th anniversary.

Hundreds of secondary school pupils are expected to compete for 11 awards in nine categories including science, languages, sports and performing arts, with students expected to demonstrate academic excellence as well as engagement with and contributions to the community.

Face-to-face classes at Hong Kong schools were suspended for most of last year due to the pandemic, with many pupils still learning online this year. Most schools have only been allowed to bring back one-third of their student population for in-person lessons.

Different surveys by NGOs have shown that many pupils found it harder to concentrate and learn at home, especially underprivileged kids who lacked electronic devices and internet connections.

Advisory board members for the awards, organised by the South China Morning Post and sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, said they expected shortlisted pupils to demonstrate resilience, passion and curiosity.

Gary Liu, the Post’s CEO and one of the board members, said he believed resilience was one of the most critical traits that young people should develop, pointing out the ongoing pandemic had presented “new and unforeseen challenges for students and teachers alike”.