Welcome to Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong

Having recently been appointed as Principal of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong I already know that I am extremely privileged to be leading such a vibrant college community.  The College consists of just over 250 students, representing over 80 different nationalities.  This means that students have the opportunity to live and study with students from a very wide range of cultural backgrounds.

All the students and the College teaching staff live on the campus of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong.  This means that a very unique community develops based on students and staff.   All students follow the IB Diploma curriculum.

A special feature of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong is the breadth and depth of activities that students undertake outside of the “taught” curriculum.  In the afternoons and weekends students are involved in over 90 different activities based around the themes of Creativity, Action and Service.  Students also participate in at least one activities week either in China or the rest of the world per year.

Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong was established in 1992.  We are situated on a large peninsula on the edge of Ma on Shan Country Park, in the New Territories.  The campus was purpose built with excellent classroom facilities including wi-fi access across campus.

Please browse the website for more information about Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong.  If you cannot find information you are seeking please email office@lpcuwc.edu.hk

Many thanks

Arnett Edwards

Principal

arnett@lpcuwc.edu.hk

The first College, Atlantic College, Wales was founded in 1962 inspired by the ideas of the distinguished German-born educator Kurt Hahn, who also founded schools in Germany and Scotland as well as inspiring the Outward Bound Movement.

Attracting the support of many prominent people, including the Honorary President of the UWC International Council, Mr. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, the movement has expanded in recent years with LPCUWC opening in 1992.

250 students aged 16-19 attend this residential College from over 60 countries, the majority selected on scholarships by a network of UWC National Committees in 100 countries worldwide.

The College invites applications from students of high academic calibre and motivation, who have shown independence and maturity and who have a genuine interest in facing new challenges and meeting young people from other countries. The two year UWC programme is challenging and rewarding, and UWC graduates are highly regarded by many of the best Universities in the world.

For more information about the UWC movement, please visit: http://web.mac.com/scodrington/UWC/United_World_Colleges.html

While speaking at a meeting at the NATO Defence College in Paris, Hahn had seen former enemies working towards new common goals. He realized how much more could be done to overcome the hostility of the Cold War if young people from different countries could be brought together in a similar way. Hahn and a number of like-minded colleagues developed the concept of a college for students aged 16 to 18 who were already grounded in their own cultures but impressionable enough to learn from others.

Drawn from all nations, the students would be selected purely on merit, regardless of race, religion, nationality, background or financial means. The result was the first UWC, Atlantic College, which opened in 1962. The idea spread, and inspired visionaries in other countries towards the idea of starting more UWCs.

Because the UWCs were catering for a diverse international community, the need was seen for a curriculum programme that would qualify students for entry into universities anywhere in the world. At that time, no such international credential existed, and so with the establishment of the early UWCs and some other pioneering international schools, the International Baccalaureate was born. Indeed, several people who helped begin the UWCs were instrumental in establishing the IB Diploma. The early development of the UWCs and the IB were interdependent, and many aspects of the IB philosophy (especially the TOK and CAS dimensions) are integral to the thinking behind the UWCs. The UWCs pioneered the IB, and the UWCs remain an innovative force within IB programmes.

The concept of an international movement gathered momentum during the 1970s under the Presidency of Lord Mountbatten, and many national committees were established to promote UWCs within their own countries and to select students for the colleges. As more students experienced a UWC education, the size of the UWC graduate community grew.

In 1978, Lord Mountbatten passed the presidency to HRH The Prince of Wales who, during his term as President, officially opened several new Colleges, including Li Po Chun UWC of Hong Kong. In 1995, Prince Charles was succeeded by HM Queen Noor of Jordan and President Nelson Mandela (whose own children and grandchildren attended Waterford KaMhlaba UWC).

Since the movement’s foundation in 1962, United World Colleges students have come from 177 countries, and the list continues to grow. Today, the UWC movement is an international NGO in Operational Relations with UNESCO and has Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

[Summarised from the publication “United World Colleges – An Overview”, 2003]

The birth of LPCUWC can be traced back to 1978 when Dr Lee Quo-Wei GBM JP (Sir Q W Lee) was Chairman of the Selection Committee that was choosing Hong Kong students to study in UWCs overseas. He was deeply impressed by the calibre of UWC graduates and their contributions to society. Even after he left the Committee in 1982, his devotion to the UWC movement remained strong, and he dreamt of establishing a UWC in China. The concept of opening a United World College in Hong Kong was initiated around 1987 by Sir Q W Lee (by that time Executive Chairman of the Hang Seng Bank) and Mr Li Shiu Tsang MBE JP, whose family had set up the Li Po Chun Charitable Trust, which remains a major provider of educational grants in Hong Kong. The trust was named after Li Po Chun (died in 1963), a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. The idea to open a UWC in Hong Kong received enthusiastic support from Sir David Wilson , then Governor of Hong Kong, and Mr David Sutcliffe, then Principal of Atlantic College in Wales. A trust fund was established in Lord Wilson’s name that still provides scholarships exclusively to enable students to come to the College.

Members of the founding Board visited other United World Colleges as did the architects chosen to build the College, and the founding Principal of Pearson college, Jack Matthews, visited Hong Kong to help develop and advise on the basic ethos and organisation of the College programme. After several sites were considered and following long negotiations, the present large site – an area from which rocks had been quarried to build the wall of Plover Cover Reservoir , as seen by the steep slope down to the Sports Centre – was gifted to the College by the Government of Hong Kong on a fifty year lease, with the agreement of the Sino-British Land Commission. At the time the site was selected, the location was quite remote, facing Tolo Channel in one direction and Ma On Shan Country Park in the other, with no substantial urban development or transport infrastructure nearby.

Once funding was secured, building commenced in 1991, the foundation stone being laid by Lord Wilson on 12 February 1992. The College opened to its first students in September 1992, and was formally opened by Prince Charles on 6 November 1992, less than 18 months after the UWC International Board approved the project.

The first staff appointment was Dr David Wilkinson, the founding Principal, initially working out of a hotel suite in Sha Tin, as staff were recruited and the College was equipped in the early part of 1992. Many pioneer staff still serve the College . Dr David Wilkinson left in 1994 to found a school in Bangkok, and has since been appointed founding Principal of the Mahindra United World College of India.

Mr Blair Forster became Principal in August 1994. He served with distinction as Principal for nine years before passing away after a long illness in September 2003. During his time as Principal, the College developed and matured, in accordance with the UWC philosophy. Academic results improved steadily to the point where the College’s IB results were among the best of the UWCs. The Quan Cai programme expanded to embrace a huge range of activities in the areas of creativity, action, service and campus support. An ongoing legacy is the ‘Blair Forster Memorial Trust’, dedicated to providing scholarships to aid young people from East Timor.

Dr Stephen Codrington became Principal in May 2004. Dr Codrington brought extensive experience as an IB Deputy Chief Examiner in Geography as well as a commitment to developing LPCUWC as a bridge of understanding between the cultures of China and the rest of the world. He also began the initiative to establish links between the College and North Korea.

Dr Lee stepped down as Chairman of the Board in April 2000 to be replaced by Dr Li Yuet-ting, CBE, JP, the former Director of Education for Hong Kong.  Dr Li Yuet-ting stepped down as Chairman of the Board in December 2007, being replaced by Mr Anthony Tong Kai Hong, BBS.

UWC Selection Committee

The Selection Committee is appointed by the Secretary for Home Affairs Bureau, as many of the scholarships awarded to Hong Kong students derive from Charitable Trusts managed by the Government.

Li Po Chun United World College is located along the Tolo Channel about six kilometres to the north of Shatin in the New Territories.  The College consists of an academic centre with classrooms, laboratories, a library, an assembly hall, a sports hall and a small lecture room.  There are four residences each comprising sixteen four bedded rooms and a number of staff apartments together with common rooms and laundry facilities.  The College has a main dining room and kitchens which can accommodate up to a maximum of 240 people. Recreational facilities include a swimming pool and hardcourts for tennis and basketball, all of which are flood-lit for evening use.

The below College facilities are available for hire by outside organisations during the summer vacation from early June to early August.  Please contact the Head of Administration (Tel:  2640 0441) for booking details.

Camp Fees

Classroom/Sports Hall/Assembly Hall Charges

Hire of Sports Facilities

Meal Charges (per person)