Dropped Out of Middle School and Imprisoned Long-Term... Earned a Doctorate Through Self-Study in Prison After 24 Years

First Inmate in Hong Kong Earns Doctorate While Incarcerated
Overcomes Difficulties Without Internet Access and Skepticism from Others

Self-taught PhD holder incarcerated in Hong Kong. Screenshot from China Xiaoxiangchenbao.

A man in his 50s incarcerated in Hong Kong earned a doctoral degree through self-study after about 24 years. According to Chinese media including Xiaoxiang Chenbao on the 10th, Mr. A-jun (alias, 51), who is imprisoned in the highly secure Stanley Prison in Hong Kong, received a Ph.D. in Education from Metropolitan University on the 8th. He is the first inmate in Hong Kong to earn a doctoral degree.

Having dropped out of middle school, he committed a serious crime in his 20s during the 1990s and became a long-term prisoner. During his time in prison, he became deeply engaged in studying. In 2000, he took the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE, abolished in 2012), and in 2004, he began taking distance learning courses at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, earning a bachelor's degree. He then completed a master's program in 2012 and obtained his doctoral degree while incarcerated.

His parents also attended the degree conferral ceremony to celebrate. When asked why he became so engrossed in studying, he explained, "I wanted to avoid having too many useless thoughts," and added, "I also wanted to show my family that even though I am in prison, I will not give up."

He also revealed that studying in prison was not easy. Without internet access, writing his thesis was difficult, and he faced cynicism from those around him who called it "pointless studying." However, encouragement from his family became his motivation to keep studying. He said, "I gained strength from the encouragement of my family and the prison officers."