By conventional standard, Ma would have been easily passed over as a prospective school drop-out. But as if it was his destiny, he was "rescued" by encountering a teacher who made a lasting influence on his life. He recalled,"My teacher attended to me with her patience and care. There was not a moment that she would give up her hope in me." His two elder sisters were stretched to their limits, giving other students tuition in order to pay for Ma's tuition fees.

In spite of all the guardian angels around him, Ma's academic career was no smoother. He repeated F.5 before he could make his way to matriculation. When he was at the threshold of tertiary education, he was unsure if teaching would be his life-long profession. But the one-year of colourful campus and hostel life at HKIEd and his subsequent teaching practice steeled his determination to make teaching his career.