Nurturing Students for 70 Years: Hospital Schools Enlightening Lives with Love

Adhering to the humanitarian spirit of the Red Cross, the Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) Hospital Schools has been caring for hospitalised students since 1954, providing them with holistic education so that they can continue with their original school curriculum after discharge from hospitals. The school also nurture students to become strong and determined individuals with self-esteem and confidence, empowering them to contribute to the community. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Hospital Schools. To celebrate 70 years of dedicated nurturing, the School has organised an art exhibition and composed a theme song titled “Cross Love”

Karen and Wilson are teachers of the Hospital Schools, teaching in the psychiatric departments at United Christian Hospital and Tuen Mun Hospital respectively. Karen mainly teaches English, while Wilson teaches science subjects such as Mathematics and Computer Studies. Having been teachers at the HKRC Hospital Schools for more than a decade, they have different feelings about this special place. Wilson said,

“The relationship between teachers and students at the Hospital Schools is very close. Teachers give guidance and companionship exactly when students need it most. This makes me feel the profound connection of the lives of teachers and students, which is exceptionally meaningful.”

Established in 1954 at the Lai Chi Kok Hospital, the HKRC Hospital Schools was the only hospital schools in Hong Kong. With a total of 26 teaching service units across 19 hospitals in Hong Kong, the Hospital Schools provide educational services to children who are unable to attend school due to prolonged hospitalisation. As such, their teaching model differs from that of ordinary mainstream schools. Teachers there may only spend a few months or even just a few days with their students. Given the changing health conditions of the students, teachers at Hospital Schools need to make timely adjustments to their teaching based on environmental and students' emotional and physical changes. To this end, the School provides training for new teachers and design a teaching method called “Mini Task”, which condenses the mainstream school-based curriculum into a set of learning content that can be completed in 20 to 30 minutes per lesson. Although the school is not able to keep track of students' progress in the same way as mainstream schools, both Wilson and Karen view it as a meaningful life education, which is why they chose to work at the Hospital Schools in the first place.

“Once, when I stepped into the ward, a student said,‘I don't know maths!’. However, with patient instruction, the student gradually acquired the skills and reported making improvement,” recalled Wilson, a maths teacher. He was pleased to see his students persevere in learning and make progress despite their physical constraints and limited classroom time. However, nothing is more exciting than knowing our students' are recovering and being discharged.

“When I learnt that the students in the cancer ward were able to have their central venous catheter removed, it meant that intensive treatment was no longer needed. This also meant that the students would soon leave the hospital and return to their normal lives.”

 

Karen said her most memorable experience was seeing each of her students complete their treatment and return to mainstream school to start life anew. Although she did not spend a lot of time with each of her students, it meant a lot to her as a teacher at the Hospital Schools to guide them during their brief stay in the ward.

The student who made the biggest impression on both teachers was Tong Ka-man, an in-patient student at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Karen recalled meeting him for the first time when he came to the cancer ward with bags of various sizes and held a lucky draw and quiz with his handmade items. “Ka-man was friendly, cheerful and not afraid to be around adults,” Karen recalled. She was impressed by the contrast between Ka-man's outgoing personality and the atmosphere of the ward. Meanwhile, Wilson witnessed Ka-man's early days of his illness, as Ka-man continued to study despite his cancer. When he was in remission, he organised activities for other patients, such as making his own vending machine and capsule toy machine. “The joyful atmosphere Ka-man created during his stay was infectious not only to the patients but also to the medical staff,” Wilson said. At the Joint School Speech Day of the Hospital Schools and the HKRC Special Schools, the outgoing Ka-man performed singer Phil Lam's “A Pair of Hands” on the guitar. Wilson recalled how hard Ka-man worked to prepare for the performance, showing up on time for every practice. Both teachers were pleased to see that the performance went well in the end.

Despite the limited class time due to students' health, the Hospital Schools hope to continue to adjust its pace in the future, thereby promoting learning and healthy development among the students. Wilson and Karen believed that learning should extend beyond the confines of paper. In the future, they hope to foster diverse learning methods for students, such as organising animal encounters or other cultural activities. In this way, students will be able to connect with the community and enjoy learning, even when they are in the wards.

70th Anniversary Theme Song for HKRC Hospital Schools: “Cross Love”

“Cross Love” captures the heartwarming story of the friendship between Hospital Schools student Ka-man and his teachers.

 Watch the MV

Hong Kong Red Cross Margaret Trench School First to Introduce Exoskeletons to Help Students Embark on Life's Journey

Walking to class, turning to retrieve something, and settling into a chair... these may seem like ordinary tasks, but for special school students with physical disabilities, taking these small steps is far from easy. Perseverance is crucial on the path to rehabilitation and training, supported by school arrangements and resources, aided by innovative technology, and requiring the cooperation of therapists — all of which are indispensable. Only by taking one step at a time can students and teachers complete this extraordinary journey. 

Celebrating Students' Progress from Sitting to Standing, and Eventually They can Walk 

The three special schools of the Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) offer a wide range of educational services for physically handicapped and disabled students, including the use of various technologies and equipment to help students take a new step forward in their rehabilitation. With the advancement of technology, Hong Kong Red Cross Margaret Trench School (MTS) launched the “Exoskeleton Robot” pilot project in 2022/23. MTS is the first school for physically disabled children in Hong Kong to introduce such a device, bringing a new rehabilitation experience to students. Currently, over 10 students are undergoing training. 

Mr Chuin Chi-wai, Principal of Hong Kong Red Cross Margaret Trench School, notes that the exoskeleton robot provides additional support to weaker lower limbs, helping students to stand, improve their gait and improve their walking stability. It is encouraging to see that some students have been able to “advance from sitting to standing and from standing to walking” through training. There are also students using the exoskeleton for training to maintain their physical function. “We have a student who is gradually losing her ability to stand due to a genetic mutation. While the exoskeleton cannot help her recover, it can aid in muscle building and slow the deterioration of her condition, offering hope for future treatment.” 

Mr Chuin Chi-wai, Principal of Hong Kong Red Cross Margaret Trench School, says exoskeletons bring hope to physically disabled students. 

New technology has brought hope to students with physical disabilities. However, a pair of exoskeletons costs hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars, making it unaffordable for ordinary families. In such circumstances, the school plays a key role, including reaching out to philanthropists and corporations for resources, and liaising with suppliers to introduce and work on improvements together. Principal Chuin recalled, “A parent learnt about exoskeletons at an exhibition in Taiwan and thought they would be helpful to their children. However, exoskeletons were expensive. Also, there was no way to introduce exoskeletons to Hong Kong at that time. It was not easy either for the school to introduce exoskeletons for the first time last year. The exoskeletons available on the market were designed for adults and were not available in sizes suitable for children. As such, we had discussions with the supplier about the issue. Eventually, the supplier was willing to produce a version for children and introduce it to Hong Kong. The parent was very happy to hear the news. Seeing their children walk with their heads held high thanks to the technology, parents are filled with hope for their children’s future and development”. 

Enhancing Self-confidence and Training for Independent Living

Apart from exoskeletons, the school also actively brought in different mobility aids, such as standing wheelchairs, to train students to live independently. With the aid of the device, actions that once required the assistance of a partner or caretaker can now be performed independently. According to Principal Chuin, mobility aids can enhance students’ daily living skills and boost their self-confidence, which can benefit their future careers. This also helps relieve the pressure of their family members or caretakers, while assisting students in building an independent and self-reliant life. Principal Chuin was also pleased to see that the students had become more cheerful and active after training. He said with a grin, “Some of the students like to ‘take a spin’ to different places. We would remind them to pay attention to pedestrian safety, or they might ‘have their licences suspended’”.  

Principal Chuin said that through the untiring efforts of local hospitals, research institutes and the industry, Hong Kong made a lot of new attempts in the application of assistive technology. Apart from medical applications, there were also applications in daily life, such as the exoskeletons for children produced by the supplier for the school. This has not only helped students, but has also drawn the attention of the business world to the needs of different community groups, thereby promoting research and development, and popularising the technology for the benefit of more people in society. 

50th Anniversary Celebration: “Equipping Yourself for the World”

Founded in September 1973, MTS celebrated its 50th Anniversary in the 2023/24 school year with a series of activities, including the 50th Anniversary Musical and the 50th Anniversary Concert. The latter featured an inclusive performance presented by five schools, including both mainstream secondary schools and special schools. A study tour to Jiangxi Province and an exchange tour to Seoul, South Korea were also organised, allowing students to learn how to use mobility aids on the Express Rail Link and airplanes for travelling out of Hong Kong. They could also go shopping and sightseeing in their electric wheelchairs, which was a valuable life experience. With “Equipping Yourself for the World” as the theme of the celebration, Principal Chuin hoped that through the aid of technology, systematic career planning and forward-looking design of activities, students could realise their potentials and travel around the world without barriers in the future.  

Students travelled and explored the world without barriers on an exchange tour to Seoul organised by MTS last academic year.