Le Van Nhat

Lai Man-yip was a Hong Kong English tutorial teacher and co-founder of Modern Education. He was the teaching assistant and husband of renowned tutorial teacher Chan Yu-man. They had one daughter.

Biography

Lai Man-yip entered Ying Wa College in 1975. After completing Form 3, he went to Taiwan for further education, graduating with a bachelor's degree in education. He was a registered English phonetics specialist. In his early years, Lai taught physical education and English alongside his wife Chan Yu-man at the Hong Kong Taoist Association Ching Chung Secondary School. In 1999, the couple left the school and, together with a friend surnamed Lo, founded Modern Education.

Lai was one of the teaching assistants in Chan Yu-man’s team, primarily assisting in her Form 4 and Form 5 classes by taking notes and helping his wife, who was of mixed Chinese and French heritage, write in Chinese. Lai initially also taught junior secondary classes and ran foundational courses for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, but later focused on assisting in senior forms as the number of assistants increased. He also offered phonics classes. Lai's teaching style was humorous and aimed at making students understand and grasp concepts clearly.

According to students who had taken Chan Yu-man’s courses, Lai’s lectures were lively, and he was known for helping weaker students. He was the most popular tutor in Chan’s assistant team.

In 2000, Lai appeared as a basketball coach in the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) drama Y2K Youth. He also appeared as a guest host in Che Suk Mui’s program.

Death

On 28 September 2009, which was also his wife's birthday, Lai was driving a Porsche 911 downhill on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road when he lost control at a turn and crashed into a retaining wall. He was rushed to Ruttonjee Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 3:19 a.m.

Modern Education issued a statement expressing deep condolences. The organization arranged substitute tutors for Lai’s students and assisted Chan Yu-man with funeral arrangements. A memorial service was held on 13 October at Hong Kong Funeral Home, and the funeral was held the next day.

After his death

After Lai’s death, his wife Chan Yu-man resigned as CEO of Modern Education in April 2016. All teaching operations ceased by the end of June that year, although she temporarily remained a major shareholder. She later withdrew from day-to-day operations and focused on developing her personal brand, emphasizing the discovery of individuals' potential and the cultivation of positive values. In 2017, Modern Education, co-founded by Lai and Chan, officially ceased operations. Chan continued her personal brand development, while the remaining three English tutors joined Beacon College.