A primary school in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province named after its donor, Hong Kong star Louis Koo, has sparked controversy on the internet due to its idle status in recent years.
The local publicity department of the Party working committee of Xinpu New Area of Zunyi City in Guizhou replied last Saturday that the Hongguang Gu Tianle Primary School in Xiazi town has remained idle after it merged with another primary school, to which Koo expressed his understanding.
A post exposing the current situation of the abandoned primary school with weeds growing everywhere has been widely circulating around online recently. Videos of the two-story school building that internet users filmed and uploaded on social media platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou show that the school had been abandoned for years and the teaching equipment looks old and out of date.
According to the local publicity department, construction of the school started in April 2009 with Koo’s donation of HK$180,000 ($23,163) and the funds of 630,000 yuan ($81,072) from the Zunyi county people’s government.
According to the article, the school cost hundreds of thousands of yuan to build but was only used for five to six years.
The school was put into use in September 2010 and cultivated and educated a total of 447 students.
However, with the fast development and urbanization of the area and the decreasing number of local students, in September 2014, the school was merged with a local boarding school, Lansheng Primary School which has a better teaching environment and teaching resources.
Although the idle phenomenon exists, Koo expressed his relief and support for the better education that the students could receive and showed his understanding toward the idle status of the school building.
Next, the Xiazi town government will consult Koo and Grace Charity Foundation Limited through which Koo donated, and plans to use the school building for public welfare programs such as public health and nursing homes for the aged.
The authority thanked Koo for his love and kindness and welcomed public welfare organizations and people from all walks of life to care about the development of the local public welfare.
According to media reports, the school building has been converted into an activity center for local seniors.
Information on the official website of Grace Charity Foundation Limited shows that Koo donated money to the construction of 137 school buildings and dormitory buildings in the impoverished mountainous areas across the mainland between 2009 and 2020. Koo established Louis Koo Charity Fund in 2009 to help construct schools and clinics.
Louis Koo Photo: VCG
