Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying has founded a nonprofit school in Nansha, Guangzhou, for Hong Kong children in the mainland and students of other non-mainland Chinese.

Minxin Hong Kong School is expected to welcome its first batch of students in September.

It will offer classes from grade one through grade 12, in which students will be taught various curriculums, including the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, the International General Certificate of Secondary Education and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

The school will also provide 1,200 boarding places for students.

Leung said: "We hope that we can run a boarding school which parents consider affordable."

He added that the school's tuition and accommodation fees will be used to support its recurrent operational expenditures. "We can organize activities with schools in Hong Kong and invite Hong Kong students to our school.

"They can also use our school as a base and explore different places across the country," Leung said.

He noted that the school will invite students in other mainland and overseas schools to stay in its dorms.

The school, Leung added, will only recruit non-mainland students, such as those from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

English will be used as the main teaching language, though students will be able to study Putonghua and learn ancient Chinese poetry in order to form an appreciation of Chinese culture.

The school will also aim to promote students' problem-solving skills and logical thinking.

Since the school is a mere 1.7 kilometers away from the Guangzhou campus of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the two institutions have decided to enter into a partnership. Professors and graduate students of the HKUST branch campus will give lectures and theme-based sessions in the school to help students learn in a wide array of topics.

These topics include artificial intelligence, big data, fintech, biotech, the Internet of Things, autopilot, robots, advanced materials, intelligent manufacturing and microelectronics.

The two educational institutions have also established programs such as the young scientist scheme and the young entrepreneur scheme to allow Minxin students a chance to experience university life and participate in workshops.

Minxin Hong Kong School, founded by Leung Chun-ying, far right, is a nonprofit school in Nansha set to open its doors in September for non-mainland students.

CY starts school in guangzhou