Empowerment Through Education
The Zubin Foundation Announces Scholarship Awards for 2020/21

Hong Kong, 19 October 2020 – The Zubin Foundation, a registered charity dedicated to improving the
lives of Hong Kong’s marginalised ethnic minorities, announced the winners of The Zubin Foundation
Scholarships today. There were twelve winners for the Ethnic Minority Women & Girls Scholarship and
a sole winner for the coveted four-year Guv-Zubin Full Tuition Scholarship.

Low Rate of Ethnic Minorities Pursuing Higher Education Degrees
Concerning tertiary education opportunities, the ethnic minority (EM) community in Hong Kong suffers
disproportionately. According to the data presented in the 2016 Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report on
Ethnic Minorities, when it comes to pursuing higher education degrees, South Asians aged 18-24 (28.1%) have lower rates in comparison to the general population in the same age group (46.6%)
1. A good education can open doors for the empowerment of a disadvantaged community. In contrast, the lack of such opportunity hinders the ability of even the most capable individuals to shed the social
disadvantages that inhibit their potential.

Multifarious Difficulties Facing Ethnic Minority Women & Girls
For aspiring EM women and girl students, these issues are further compounded by the pressures
incurred by traditional gender roles that suggest a woman is incapable of achieving success in academics
or at workplace, or that such a situation would be improper. Amidst the economic downturn of a global
pandemic, women are increasingly (and mistakenly) viewed as financial “burdens” to their families.
Sanitary products, living expenses and school fees are viewed as potential deficits by those unable or
unwilling to recognise the promise we see in these young girls. Moreover, instances of forced or
arranged marriage (where families hope to relieve their “burden”), when girls are pressured (or even
coerced) into dropping out of school, stymie any opportunity towards educational empowerment.

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