Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence helps bright young students follow their dreams

Seventy-eight academic high-fliers have been awarded the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence to support their studies at top-notch universities around the world in the coming academic year.

The first winners of the scholarship, initiated by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his policy address last year, received their awards yesterday.

Twenty-five will pursue postgraduate studies, while 53 will begin life as undergraduates with the help of HK$250,000 a year to cover tuition fees. The scheme drew 658 applicants.

"All these [students] have diverse interests and talents, as evidenced by the broad range of disciplines they intend to pursue," Leung said. "They will all return and contribute to Hong Kong with the knowledge and skills they gain."

Apart from the traditional elite subjects, such as law and medicine, some will pursue their interests in areas such as forest science, aeronautical engineering, music and town planning.

Among them is Lai Sze-fat, a 24-year-old Baptist University graduate, who will study international planning at University College London. Lai said urban planning had long been his interest as it would affect generations of people.