The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) presented more than HK$13 million in financial awards to 1,311 students at the 2020/21 Scholarship and Bursary Awards Presentation held last Friday (27 August). Some 560 donors, business leaders, award recipients and their families, and University staff attended the ceremony. Both the number of recipients and the total sum awarded this year reach record high, demonstrating the strong support from the community towards the University and its students. It is also evidence of the OUHK's continuous support for students during the pandemic.

At the ceremony, OUHK Council Chairman Mr Michael Wong Yick-kam thanked all the donors, corporations, community leaders and alumni for their long-term commitment to the University's “Student Assistance Fund”. “It is gratifying to witness students receiving affirmation for their hard work in the past year, especially in a time of unprecedented challenges and changes in the mode of study,” he said. “The University has distributed more than HK$13 million in scholarships and bursaries to 1,311 students this year. Both the number of recipients and total value of the awards have risen sharply to a historic high.” He reiterated that these significant increases are proof that the University's mission and students' efforts are widely recognized.

OUHK President Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing extended his congratulations to all awardees and encouraged them to keep up their commendable efforts. “I sincerely congratulate all the award-winning students,” he said. “Your dedication to your studies has been rewarded, illustrating the meaning of the old saying 'no pain, no gain' – hard work does pay off.” Prof. Lam also urged students to seize the opportunity to further their education in a positive and proactive manner. By doing so, they could contribute further to society as a token of appreciation for the generosity shown to them.

Prof. Lam also invited three scholarship winners, Fathima Afsa, He Han-sen and Lam Pik-ki, to share their university experiences. These students conveyed their appreciation to the University for enhancing their professional knowledge, skills and practical experience through diversified learning opportunities. They also expressed their sincere gratitude to donors for their generous support. They viewed the scholarships as a significant recognition of their achievements so far and vowed to make good use of the financial aid bestowed to improve themselves personally and pursue promising careers.

Of this year's recipients, 590 students received scholarships in recognition of their outstanding achievements in academic studies and other fields, while 721 students were given bursary grants to relieve their financial burden. The OUHK also established eight new scholarships and bursaries, namely the CowEasy Reward Prize, the David Chan Bursary, the DC Foundation Bursary, the 'For Our Future' Scholarship, the HSBC Greater Bay Area (Hong Kong) Scholarship, the Lu's Foundation Bursary, the President Yuk-Shan Wong Scholarship for Outstanding Research Postgraduate Students, and the S. K. Yee Medical Foundation Bursary.

In addition, 663 OUHK students were awarded scholarships from the Government's Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme (SPSS) this year. The total value of these new awards surpassed HK$12 million (see Table 1). This achievement not only reflects the outstanding performance of OUHK students in academic studies, extra-curricular activities and personal development, but is also an affirmation of the Government's confidence in self-financing institutions. Since its establishment in 2011, SPSS has already benefited more than 5,000 OUHK students. For details, see http://www.cspe.edu.hk/content/Overview-Measures-Fund-SPSS.

Table 1: The OUHK's results in the 2020/21 Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme