The Board of Governors of The Independent Schools Foundation (ISF) and the Principal, Senior Management, Teachers, Staff and Students of The Independent Schools Foundation Academy (The ISF Academy) congratulate Professor Charles Kao, the Founding Chairman of ISF, for winning the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physics "for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication". 

Professor Kao's insight into the potential light-transmitting properties of fiber optics allowed researchers to take this field to a new level, enabling more efficient transmission of light over much longer distances than had previously been possible. Modern fiber optic cables are hair-like slender threads of glass that carry digitized telephone and data signals as light.  This technological breakthrough in the application of fiber optics underpins the entire global communication system, reaching every corner of human society.  All modern voice communications and high-speed broadband internet are only possible because of Professor Kao’s contribution.  

Professor Kao became the Founding Chairman of The ISF in 2000 and stepped down from the Board in December 2008.  He led the school’s application to the government for a new model of education in Hong Kong. His philosophy of education, encapsulated in his motto “Learning! Learning! Learning!”, shaped the vision and philosophy of education at our school, encouraging our students to explore, question and access multiple facets of learning.  Professor Kao's legacy continues to resonate in the learning programs at our school.  One of our core subjects in the Primary Division, Guided Discovery, follows his ideology and is a concept that was very close to his heart.