Youders’ Story – Mrs. Chandni Rakesh 黎月兒女士
Recipient of Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Students in 1997/98
尤德爵士紀念基金本科生獎學金1997/98年度得獎者
We all perhaps know of someone who has switched careers or industries over time. In an era when career changing is becoming normalized, Mrs. Chandni Rakesh’s story stands out as a unique exception. Mrs. Rakesh, Principal of La Salle Primary School and recipient of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Students in 1997/98, has been pursuing a singular passion, without deviating even once since she graduated, of educating Hong Kong’s children.
Mrs. Rakesh was born into a family of teachers and they wanted her to be one, too. However, she wanted to explore her own personal interests and passions. Rather, teaching is something she gradually grew into, with her university years and first job being the sparks that set it off.
Early in her youth, Mrs. Rakesh had a strong interest in English. After entering university, she decided to select a major that would tap into her strength and passion. To develop skills for the application of English in different sectors, she pursued an undergraduate degree in English for Professional Communication at City University of Hong Kong. After her graduation, she was curious about the teaching profession. Her first-ever experience made her fall in love with teaching. One to two years later, after finishing a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) from the University of Hong Kong, she pursued a Masters in English Studies from the same university.
Mrs. Rakesh’s first job as a registered teacher was in a private primary school. She worked there for five years. Apart from teaching, she also had some administrative roles and duties. Her second job was in a DSS primary school, where she worked for 12 years, first as a Senior Teacher and then as the Deputy Headteacher. Her third and current job, is in an all-boys school (La Salle Primary School). It has been her sixth year there as its Principal.
As the Principal of a storied, esteemed institution, Mrs. Chandni Rakesh has spared no effort to ensure only the best for the students and staff of La Salle Primary School. She prioritized allocating more resources and attention to bridging Information technology (IT) and education, in order to enrich the school’s STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum. STREAM education focuses on helping students becoming ready for the ‘digital age’ of the 21st Century by awakening their interests and curiosities, primarily through teaching substantive and technical content. Mrs. Rakesh also devotes equal resources and attention to promote traditions that impart cherished values, such as showing love and care to everyone, thereby nurturing the students to become ‘Lasallian Gentleman’. Indeed, as an aided all-boys school, the students of La Salle Primary School come from diverse backgrounds, each with their own unique learning needs. It is imperative that all students – regardless of their differences – are educated to the same level of rigour. The school strives to identify the learning needs of every student and provide matching resources so that they all can equally take advantage of opportunities for attaining academic achievements. To achieve the whole-person development of students, Mrs. Rakesh makes it a point to involve not only teachers, but also the school managers, old boys and parents. It takes an inclusive community to raise a child, and all parties are integral elements of that community.
Mrs. Rakesh received her Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholarship for Undergraduate Students during her second year. She is proud to be recognized by a prestigious scholarship granting organization, like the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Council, and feels that the award encouraged her to pursue her strengths and give back to the city. Since graduation, she has devoted herself to a life of service as an educator, contributing back to the city where she was born and received all of her education. Near the end of the interview, Mrs. Rakesh shared with us her current goal: “To ensure La Salle Primary School is the best primary school in Hong Kong by touching the minds and hearts of our students and providing the highest quality of education.”
或許在我們身邊，總會有些人經常轉換自己的職業或是所在的行業。在這個轉換職業變得常態化的時代，尤德爵士紀念基金本科生獎學金（1997/98年度）得獎者，喇沙小學校長黎月兒女士，卻是一個例外。她從畢到現在，一直以培育香港的學生為己任，對教育充滿熱誠。
黎女士生於一個教師的家庭，父母一直希望她成為一名教師。起初她原想探索個人興趣，尋找自己的發展路向，然而她的大學生活和第一份工作卻點燃了她這份對教育的熱誠。
年輕的她已對英語產生了濃厚的興趣。在大學選科的時候，她決定選擇一個她擅長而又感興趣的主科。為培養在不同領域應用英語的技能，她選擇修讀香港城市大學的英語專業傳播課程。畢業後，她對教師這一職業充滿好奇。 她的第一次教學體驗使她愛上了教學。約兩年後，她在香港大學完成學位教師教育文憑（PGDE），及後再取得英國文學碩士學位。
黎女士成為註冊老師後的第一份工作是在一所私立小學裏當老師。五年間，除了教學之外，她亦參與學校的行政工作。之後，她獲得一所直接資助小學聘任為主任，更被晉升為該校的副校長。直到六年前，她獲聘任為喇沙小學的校長。
作為一所著名而又有多年歷史的學校校長，黎女士期望能盡己所能把最好的都全給予喇沙小學的學生及教職員。 她把資源優先分配到資訊科技的教育上，以豐富學校的 STREAM（科學、技術、閱讀、工程、藝術和數學）課程。 STREAM教育通過教授實質性和技術性內容和技能，喚醒學生的學習興趣和好奇心，幫助他們為21世紀的「資訊時代」做好準備。另一方面，黎女士亦相當重視學校的傳統。喇沙小學重視學生的價值觀教育，期望他們對其他人能獻出多一些愛和關懷，希望培養學生成為「喇沙紳士」(Lasallian Gentlemen)。當然，作為一所資助學校，喇沙小學的學生來自不同的背景，因此都有不同的學習需要。學校致力於識別每個學生的學習需求並提供相應的資源，使他們能獲得同等的教育機會。黎女士指出，學校注重學生的全人發展，為達成這一個目標，除了教師的參與外，當中亦有校董會、校友和家長的支持。她指出，撫養孩子需要一個包容的校園，而各持份者都是不可或缺的組成部分。
黎女士在她修讀學士課程的第二年獲得尤德爵士紀念基金獎學金。對於自己能夠從如此享負盛名的獎學金資助機構獲得這份榮譽，她感到十分自豪，這亦鼓勵她繼續發揮所長，回饋社會。從畢業以來，黎女士一直專注於教育的工作，透過培育香港社會的下一代來貢獻社會。最後，黎女士分享了她當前的一個目標：「透過啟迪學生的思想心靈，提供最優質的全人教育，使喇沙小學成為全港最優秀的學校。」