Shropshire student learning remotely back home in Hong Kong
He is almost 6,000 miles away from his school in Shropshire, but Kenneth Choi is still keeping up with his studies remotely back home in Hong Kong.
The 16-year-old, who is a student at Concord College in Acton Burnell, was among boarders whose families received an email last month saying the school was allowing students to leave if they wished to do so.
After speaking to his parents, Kenneth flew back to Hong Kong but he decided it would be safer to self-isolate away from his family in a hotel for a fortnight.
Although GCSE exams have been cancelled, he is making the best use of his time by using a virtual learning programme and is still studying hard for internal tests.
He said: "They visit and bring me food and I’m having lessons online.
“Last week we had exams.
"They sent me the paper five minutes before the exam started and we handed it in straight away.
"Now that we don’t have GCSE's, our internal exams are being pushed back to summer term.
“I must say that the virtual learning programme is more successful than I anticipated as it was really effective and eventually had no technical errors at all.
“I’m very impressed and I’m sure the programmes after Easter will make us even more well prepared than we are now for our end of term exams.”
He says whilst academic life and education are very important, the safety and wellbeing of people is at the forefront of his mind.
“In Hong Kong we had the lesson of Sars in 2003," Kenneth said.
"At first, there was no cure and people were dying every day and, even though I was a little kid, the memories are very vivid.
“So, I completely understand why the Government has cancelled the exams and I have no ill feelings about it. Heath always comes first.
“Some of my friends have wondered whether the school will make us sit the exams next year, but I don’t think so, even though that means sacrificing us as a year group.
“But the essence of education isn’t getting the mark, it’s absorbing the knowledge. Our hard work isn’t wasted.
“Obviously I wish to further my studies in Concord, graduate with good grades and head off to a desirable university to further my studies.
“But it is also my humble wish to continue to serve the school and the community, participate in more extracurriculars, to broaden my horizons and meet more people to build up my social network.”
