French International School "
Victor Segalen
Victor Segalen (14 January 1878 – 21 May 1919) was a French naval doctor, ethnographer, archeologist, writer, poet, explorer, art-theorist, linguist and literary critic.
He was born in Brest. He studied medicine and graduated at the Navy ...
" of Hong Kong (FIS in English, french: Lycée français international Victor-Segalen; LFI; ) is a French international school in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. It is the only accredited French school in Hong Kong (linked by an agreement with the
Agency for French Teaching Abroad
The Agency for French Education Abroad, or Agency for French Teaching Abroad, (french: Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger; abbreviation: AEFE), is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affair ...
(AEFE). It has over 2,500 students in four different campuses. Since September 2014, FIS expanded its operations to a new campus in Hung Hom. In September 2018, the FIS opened its new campus in
Tseung Kwan O
Tseung Kwan O New Town is one of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on reclaimed land in the northern half of Junk Bay (known as Tseung Kwan O in Chinese/Cantonese language) in southeastern New Territories, after which it is named ...
, closing the Hung Hom Campus.
FIS offers two Streams, the French and the International streams. The French stream follows the French National Education curriculum which leads to the "diplôme national du brevet" and the French "
Baccalauréat
The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
". The "Option Internationale du Baccalauréat" (OIB) offers advanced level studies in English. The International stream is based on the British curriculum and leads to
IGCSE
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based examination similar to GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising prior attainm ...
(University of Cambridge International Examinations) in Form 5 and the
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...
(IB) in Form 6. FIS was the first international school in Hong Kong to offer an International Baccalaureate program in 1988.
History
FIS was established in 1963, as French engineers and technicians arrived in Hong Kong to build the
Shek Pik
Shek Pik () is an area located along the southwestern coast of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. When the Shek Pik Reservoir was built, villages at Shek Pik were demolished and the villagers were relocated to other parts of Lantau Island and to Tsue ...
dam.
It became the first international school in Hong Kong and initially had 30 students.
The original campus was a portion of a flat in
Pok Fu Lam
Pok Fu Lam or Pokfulam is a residential area on Hong Kong Island, at the western end of the Southern District. It is a valley between Victoria Peak and Mount Kellett, around Telegraph Bay.
Pok Fu Lam can claim several ''firsts'' in the his ...
.
In 1973, FIS was the first international school to offer mandarin classes to students.
Construction began on the
Jardine's Lookout
Jardine's Lookout () is a mountain in Wan Chai District, Hong Kong with a height of . It is located east of Happy Valley, south of Causeway Bay, and west of Braemar Hill and north of Tai Tam Country Park.
A low-density residential area called ...
campus in 1982. The
Hong Kong government
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong Special administrative regions of China, ...
donated the land to have the school built. In 1984, FIS established the Jardine's Lookout campus and opened the international stream.
Classes began in September of that year.
Prior to 1988, the English medium stream only went up to the fifth form, with the
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
being the end qualification.
In 1988, FIS became the first international school in Hong Kong to be awarded the World IB status.
The IB curriculum became available to the English medium stream and lengthened the course of study available to sixth form-equivalent students.
[
In 1994 the school was renamed after ]Victor Segalen
Victor Segalen (14 January 1878 – 21 May 1919) was a French naval doctor, ethnographer, archeologist, writer, poet, explorer, art-theorist, linguist and literary critic.
He was born in Brest. He studied medicine and graduated at the Navy ...
.
In 1997 the school began building another campus. The Government of Hong Kong loaned $80 million, the Hong Kong Jockey Club
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is one of the oldest institutions in Hong Kong, having been founded in 1884. In 1959, it was granted a Royal Charter and renamed The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (). The institution reverted to its original name ...
Charities Trust donated $20 million, and the Government of France gave a grant for $15 million. The Hong Kong government loan did not collect interest. In March 1999, the newly constructed Blue Pool Road Secondary School campus was opened. It had a cost of $130 million.[
In 2011, the ]Chai Wan
Chai Wan (; ), formerly known as Sai Wan (西灣), lies at the east end of the urban area of Hong Kong Island next to Shau Kei Wan. The area is administratively part of the Eastern District, and is a mosaic of industrial and residential area ...
campus was opened and was later recognised with a Green Building Award.
In 2018, the Tseung Kwan O
Tseung Kwan O New Town is one of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on reclaimed land in the northern half of Junk Bay (known as Tseung Kwan O in Chinese/Cantonese language) in southeastern New Territories, after which it is named ...
eco-campus was opened.
Operations
The school has a casual dress code, with boundaries using common sense. The ''South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' stated in 1984 that "The atmosphere is informal."[
A 1990 SCMP article stated that the admissions process was competitive and that the Anglophone classes were more difficult to get into.]
Curriculum
As of 1990 language courses include French, English, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, and German. As of 1990 students must choose French and one other language.[
]
Campuses
The Blue Pool Road Campus in Happy Valley houses the school administration and the secondary school. The 32-classroom facility has eight storeys. Three buildings house flats for employees. School buses are parked on the facility's roof. Other vehicles park in the basement.[
The ]Jardine's Lookout
Jardine's Lookout () is a mountain in Wan Chai District, Hong Kong with a height of . It is located east of Happy Valley, south of Causeway Bay, and west of Braemar Hill and north of Tai Tam Country Park.
A low-density residential area called ...
Campus houses primary school classes. It has an auditorium with 310 seats. The swimming pool has a length of .[
The Chai Wan Campus is located in the former Meng Tak Catholic School in ]Chai Wan
Chai Wan (; ), formerly known as Sai Wan (西灣), lies at the east end of the urban area of Hong Kong Island next to Shau Kei Wan. The area is administratively part of the Eastern District, and is a mosaic of industrial and residential area ...
; this campus opened in September 2011 and houses primary school students. A new campus in Area 67 of Tseung Kwan O
Tseung Kwan O New Town is one of the nine new towns in Hong Kong, built mainly on reclaimed land in the northern half of Junk Bay (known as Tseung Kwan O in Chinese/Cantonese language) in southeastern New Territories, after which it is named ...
is scheduled to open in 2018. The Tseung Kwan O campus houses early years through junior high school (collège).
Previously the Hung Hom Campus housed primary school students; it opened in September 2014, and was in Kowloon City District
Kowloon City District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the city of Kowloon. It had a population of 381,352 in 2001, and increased to 418,732 in 2016. The district has the third most educated residents while its res ...
. The school once operated a Kindergarten campus in Shops 2–4 on the ground floor of Tung Fai Gardens () in Sheung Wan
Sheung Wan is an area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Western District. The name can be variously interpreted as ''Upper Dist ...
.[Campuses - Sheung Wan]
" French International School of Hong Kong. May 18, 2012. Retrieved on February 10, 2017. "Kindergarten (except RC) located at Shops 2-4, G/F, Tung Fai Gardens, 17 Po Yan street, Sheung Wan."
Sport teams
Since 2009, FIS has had its own football, handball, basketball, netball and rugby teams.
Governance
The French International School of Hong Kong is a not-for-profit, private enterprise under Hong Kong law and is managed by a Board. This Board comprises 13 volunteer members at most: 12 parents elected for 3 years and the Consulate General of France as well as invited members (representatives from the consulate, FIS and the French Chamber of Commerce). The Board members do not receive any financial compensation from FIS for their involvement.
Notable alumni
*Camille Cheng
Camille Cheng Lily-mei (; born 9 May 1993) is a Hong Kong competitive swimmer.
She qualified to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and was selected to represent Hong Kong in the women's 50 metre freestyle, 100 metre freestyle, 200 me ...
["Road to Rio: How Hong Kong swim star Camille Cheng went from Olympic spectator to competitor."]
James Porteous. South China Morning Post
The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
. Alibaba. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
See also
* French people in Hong Kong
The French Consulate estimates there are over 25,000 French citizens in Hong Kong. The Immigration Department of Hong Kong estimated that 6,534 French nationals were in Hong Kong in 2019, an increase from 2,375 in 2009; the IMMD counts people ph ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lycee Francais International
International schools in Hong Kong
French international schools in China
French international schools in Asia
AEFE contracted schools
Cambridge schools in Hong Kong
International Baccalaureate schools in Hong Kong
Schools on Hong Kong Island
Schools in the New Territories
Schools in Kowloon