Hong Kong Education System

By Chin Pang Wong  |   Submitted On March 11, 2008

   0 

The exam-oriented education system has long been criticized for jeopardizing the development

of students' critical thinking and career knowledge. Students graduated from secondary schools

lack the skills and knowledge for entering the job market and what they possess is knowledge

needed for university studies rather than for the workplace.

In the 2003/04 school year, the Hong Kong SAR Government piloted 12 COC courses in senior

secondary school (SSS). There are 17 classes covering 382 students coming from 57 different

schools. In 2004/05 school year the courses increased to 32, offering 69 classes to 1427 students

coming from 132 schools. As its name implies, the COC contains courses designed to meet

needs of specific professions. Currently, there are nine areas of studies including business, arts

and media, design, services, performing arts, information technology, engineering, food

production and management, and leisure, tourism and hospitality. All of these courses are

designed to meet the demands of the new Hong Kong economic structure.

The COC is designed for students with interest and inclination in areas other than those provided

by the existing examination subjects. It aims at providing students with the opportunities to

explore their orientation for life-long learning and career aspirations in specific areas. Through

the COC, the Hong Kong SAR Government expects students can develop better understanding

about their career orientation and competency. This can also help students decide on life

objectives. Many students also understand the importance of studying hard and become more

motivated in learning other subjects. Through the study of career-oriented courses, students

would also develop their generic skills, values and attitude, acquire the knowledge and skills as

well as understand the workplace requirement of a particular career. Students would also be able

to obtain one certificate and multiple diplomas for further studies, work, or both at the senior

secondary level through the study of the COC.

New Choices and Chances for Students

Some of the COC courses (e.g. food production, tourism or performing arts) not only require

knowledge, but also require skills, value and attitude which are largely ignored or

underdeveloped in the traditional curriculum design. Students who experience failure or

unsatisfactory performance during their primary or junior secondary school studies can have new

chance and choice to experience success and develop some of their talents, they can bring out

some of their skills that long been buried and make unnoticed during earlier studies.

With COC studies, students not only learn more knowledge about their chosen professions, but

also expose themselves to the professions earlier through various kinds of practices or visits.

With earlier career exposure through COC, students can come to identify their abilities and then,

in light of such recognition, the choices become obvious and also increase their motivation to

learn.

COC and Self-Concept Development

According to Berk (2004), vocational development moves through three phases: a fantasy period

(early and middle childhood), in which children explore career options through play; young

children gain insight into career options by fantasizing about them. However, their preferences

are largely guided by family, glamour, and excitement and usually bear little relationship to the

decisions they will eventually make.

The second stage is the tentative period (early ad middle adolescence). Between ages 11 and 16,

adolescents think about careers in a more complex ways. At first, they evaluate vocational

options in terms of their interests. Later, as they become more aware of personal an educational

requirements for different vocations, they take into account their abilities and values.

The third stage is the realistic period (late adolescence and emerging adulthood). By the late

teens and early twenties, the economic and practical realities of adulthood are just around the

corner, and young people narrow their options. At first, many do so through further exploration,

gathering more information about a set of possibilities that blends with their personal

characteristics. Then they enter a final phase of crystallization, in which they focus on a general

vocational category. Within it, they experiment for a time before settling on a single occupation.

If students can accumulate knowledge of their preferred vocation, of the education requirements

to enter it, and of the future demand for it, students could benefit from it. But high-ambition/

low-knowledge young people are at risk for becoming 'drifting dreamers' since they fail to make

strategic choices about how to invest their efforts wisely. COC programs can do a better job of

helping young people learn more about the work that interested them and evaluate its fit with

their personal attributes since the COC teachers (most of them are field professionals) can

introduce students to people in those jobs, explaining up-to-date entry requirements, encouraging

participation or organizing relevant extra curriculum activities, and offering internships or

practices that provide first hand experiences. Students with a clear picture about the professions

they would like to join can develop a much realistic goal, with a much realistic goal; students can

take concrete steps to achieve the goal.

COC teachers play another significant role in motivating and developing students' interests as

well. They can act as mentor who provides a role model for students to learn. COC teachers can

also provide practical feedback for students to develop skills and attitude, at the same time;

students can see the skills accumulated are strongly relevant to the job required and increase their

motivation.

School is a place where students spend most of their prime time in, it is understandable some

development may strongly relate to the school environment. As I am an education practitioner

working in one of the senior secondary school which provides COC, I notice many new entrants

enrolled into our Form 4 classes are with negative self concept and low self-esteem, especially

belief hold about their academic ability. It not only hampers their potential to excel in certain

areas that requires particular skills or personality rather than their memorizing ability (kind of

skills in traditional examination), but also denies success they can experience. After a period of

studies, most of the Form 5 students can acuminate certain level sense of success throughout

their studies and develop a better self concept, some even want to further their studies after

graduation.

It is not an easy job to say what causes their negative self concept development in past time, but I

can point out a fact that most of the students are 'underachievers' during their junior secondary

school studies. With some personal conversations, they let me know how they feel about studies,

how bad their school experience can be and it leads me to make a decision to investigate how

their psychological state develops in the new kind of learning environment.

Wong Chin Pang

BSW (Hons), MSSc, EdD (Candidate)

Education System in Hong KongThe education system in Hong Kong was influenced by British rule and contains many elements that can also be seen in the United Kingdom [1]. It is currently revised, and in order to keep things simple, here only the education system presented as it will be implemented in 2012 (a good introduction to both the old and the new system can be found in [2]). This article traces the path of a student from primary school to graduation at a university. Leaving the optional 3-year kindergarten aside, education consists of 6-year primary education, 3-year junior secondary

education, 3-year senior secondary education, and then - for those who are admitted to university - 4-year tertiary education in a university undergraduate program.

Education from primary school towards undergraduate studies at

a university

While public schools offer cost-free 12-year primary education and secondary education [3], for tertiary education universities generally charge tuition fees which are higher than in Germany but often less than in the United States.

There are roughly three types of local schools in Hong Kong: those operated by the government, those operated by other institutions but funded by the government, and private schools which might also receive some financial assistance by the government [2] [3]. The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region spends 24.5% of its expenditures on education, corresponding to 4.5% of GDP compared to 4.6% of GDP in Germany [4] [5].

Primary EducationIt is compulsory for children to obtain primary education, which consists of six years at a primary school. Placement does not take place before Primary 5 and Primary 6, as compared to Germany, where the decision about going to university where placement procedures start as early as in third and fourth year of primary school. The number of primary school students is shrinking due to demographic change [6].

Secondary EducationAfter primary school, students attend a secondary school. At the end of six years of secondary education students take a placement exam that leads to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) [3] [7], which has a similar function as the A-levels exam, the Abitur, the International Baccalaureat obtained in other systems.

Tertiary EducationDepending on the results in the HKDSE exam, students can be admitted to one of the many universities in Hong Kong, from which the most-often listed ones are the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Hong Kong University, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Unlike the cost-free education in the previous 12-years of primary and secondary education, universities charge a tuition fee, which covers a notable amount of university expenditures, at least at HKUST where tuition fees made up 22 percent of all income in the academic year ending in 2010[8]. The cost for tertiary education is not negligible, and often local students need to take loans in order to cover their expenses.

International OrientationHong Kong's universities try to encourage good students from abroad to come study in Hong Kong. There is lively exchange between students from the United States and Hong Kong. At HKUST, more students come from th the United States than from all European countries together. The same applies for the reverse direction [8].

The Hong Kong education and schooling system explained

       

[Articles home]In the past, Hong Kong education was closely modeled on the system that was found in the UK.  This is hardly surprising since Hong Kong was administered by Britain from 1841 to 1997, when the former UK colony was handed back to China.  However, since 1997, the education system taught in local schools has undergone a series of changes. While some of these changes have

reflected different language of instruction policies, there have also been changes to the senior secondary curriculum. The new model, brought in at the beginning of the 2009/10 academic year, is now more in line with those found in China and even the USA.

While there are nine years of compulsory schooling in Hong Kong, six in primary school and three in junior secondary school, the Hong Kong government has recently moved to make it easier and more likely that the majority of students will receive 12 years of education.removal of fees and one series of public exams in senior secondary school is a move which will make a full twelve years’ of education a much more accessible option for a great number of students.There has always been schooling beyond the years of compulsory education.  The majority of students attend 3 years of kindergarten (K1 – K3) before attending primary school. Under the new secondary system, the three years of junior secondary is followed by three years of senior secondary.  This leads to the HKDSE (Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education) exams. Students gain entry to a range of post-secondary, vocational and tertiary courses offered by a variety of institutions based on the results of the HKDSE. The majority of university courses offered by Hong Kong universities will also undergo a change in structure for students graduating with the HKDSE. Many courses will become 4 year programmes, partly in response to the change from four years to three years in the senior secondary years.

The schools provided by the Hong Kong Education Department (EDB – Education Bureau) can be divided into three main groups: government schools; subsidized schools, which are usually administered by charitable bodies; and private schools run by different organizations where admission is more often decided by academic merit (schools such as DBC and DGS are example of these types of schools).

Aside from the government system, there are private independent schools. The style of education, the language(s) of instruction and the international curricula offered by these schools appeal to both expatriate and local parents.  Many of these schools have waiting lists and all charge higher (and in many cases, much higher) tuition fees than local schools.

In the past, the local education system has been very exam-orientated. However, in recent years there have been some moves towards fewer exams ad more continuous and formative assessment.  Schools usually have a strict discipline code and virtually all students wear school uniform.

Primary schools used to be separated into morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) schools as a method of dealing with the problems of a lack of space and the large student numbers. However, with changing demographics and a falling birth rate, most primary schools have moved to become whole-day schools.

While most schools are co-ed, there are a number of well-known schools with good reputations which are single-sex.

KindergartensSince 1997, there have been changes to a lot of kindergartens as a way of professionalizing them.  Most of the changes have involved

minimum teaching qualifications for both kindergarten teaching staff and principals. As the government has also placed more emphasis on the importance of early childhood education, the curriculum in kindergarten has now been designed to provide a sound foundation for students. 

Primary EducationThe majority of local Primary schools in Hong Kong are Chinese medium of instruction and the primary curriculum covers a wide range of subjects including Social Studies, Science, Chinese, English, Mathematics, Music, Arts and Physical Education.

Students are allocated to Secondary schools through their performance in three examinations taken in Primary 5 and Primary 6. Schools are extremely competitive and parents naturally have a strong preference for their child to be allocated to a top or higher band school.

Recently, primary school numbers have been shrinking, causing the closure of some schools and resulting in the need for some teacher redundancies.

Class numbers are traditionally much higher in Hong Kong than they are in Western countries.  An average class, in both primary and secondary school could have over 35 students and it can be as many as 45. The shrinking enrollments have seen a lot of debate about smaller class sizes but so far the numbers of students in a class have not been greatly reduced.

Secondary EducationThe first year of secondary school, known as Form or Secondary One, follows six years of primary education.  Forms 1 – 3 have compulsory attendance and in junior secondary, the learning is broader, without students choosing specific study areas.

The majority of local secondary schools became Chinese medium of instruction (CMI) after the Handover in 1997. However, since then many have gone back to an English medium of instruction (EMI). In 2013, 112 out of 400 secondary schools are EMI.

Students in Forms 4-6 now prepare for the HKDSE, the examinations for which are held at the end of Form 6. There are four core subjects – English, Mathematics, Chinese and Liberal Studies. Students then choose two or three elective subjects from a choice of 20.some applied learning subjects, modeled on the idea of the BTEC and six other modern foreign languages which can also form part of the students’ choices.

International school students do not take local public examinations.  Once, the UK GCSE/A-levels were popular among many of Hong Kong’s international schools but now the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a much more common programme at the diploma level.country-specific international schools teach a syllabus from their own country.  Students also might take the SAT or IELTS in order to gain entry to an overseas university.

Several direct-subsidy ‘local’ schools with a good reputation now also offer the IB or the UK GCSE/A-levels. One of the reasons for this might be the government’s new 3+3+4 curriculum, as parents are concerned how the HKDSE will be viewed if students want to use it to gain tertiary entrance abroad.

Tertiary EducationTertiary education is important in Hong Kong. There are eight universities and several other tertiary institutions without university status. All the tertiary institutions offer a range of programmes including undergraduate and post-graduate degrees, as well as Associate degrees and Higher Diplomas. 

The number of places available for undergraduate degrees is substantially less than the number of students who actually fulfill the entry requirements for general admission to university. From the beginning of the academic year in 2012, many courses will be extended to four

years, in line with the government’s policy of 3 + 3 + 4 (three years of junior secondary, followed by three years of senior secondary then 4 years of university).  For students who fail to gain entrance to a degree programme, studying an Associate degree or a Higher diploma, which may articulate with a degree course later on, is a popular option. It is also sometimes possible to gain a course transfer form a successfully completed Higher diploma or Associate degree into an overseas degree programme with some credit transfer.

Of the Hong Kong universities, The University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have the best reputations. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been developing a strong name in the areas of Technology and Business.

In terms of post-graduate study, the trend for local Hong Kong people is to complete a post-graduate qualification abroad.graduate students at local universities, a significant number of them come from Mainland China.

Adult EducationLife-long learning has become a popular catch cry from the government and certainly taking a course seems to be a common activity among the adult population. The majority of the universities have schools which offer non-degree, adult learning courses and there are a range of other institutions as well, offering professional, general education and interest courses. Language courses, especially English, Mandarin and Japanese are common, and many adults study as a means of improving their prospects in the employment market. The government has even established a scheme which enables adult learners to apply for course fee reimbursement for approved courses. There is also the Open University of Hong Kong, run along similar lines to the UK one, which gives many people opportunities to study for a degree.

Education in Hong Kong

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Education in Hong Kong

Education Bureau

Social Welfare Department

Secretary for

Education

Director of Social

Welfare

Eddie Ng

Patrick Nip

National education budget (2012/13)

Budget $39,420 per capita

General details

Primary languages English and Cantonese

Chinese

System type National

9-year Compulsory

Education

September 1978[1]:Chapter 1,

Paragraph 1.1

Literacy (2010)

Total 94.6%[2]

Male N/A

Female N/A

Enrollment

Total N/A

Primary N/A

Secondary N/A

Post secondary N/A

Attainment

Secondary diploma N/A

Post-secondary

diploma

N/A

Education in Hong Kong

Education Bureau Exam Assessment Authority

Pre-school education Primary education

HKAAT

Secondary education

HKHLE

HKCEE

HKALE (A-Level)

334 Scheme

HKDSE

JUPAS (EAS Subsystem)

Higher education

English Schools Foundation University Grants Committee

Grant Schools Council Heung Shing

Other Hong Kong topics

History Geography

Politics Economy

Culture

Hong Kong portal

V

T

E

Education in Hong Kong is largely modelled on that of the United Kingdom, particularly the English system. It is overseen by the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department.

Small village Chinese schools were observed by the British missionaries when they arrived circa 1843.[3] Anthony Sweeting believes those small village schools existed in Stanley, Shek Pai Wan, Heung Kong Tsai and Wong Nai Chong on Hong Kong Island, although proof is no longer available.[4]

One of the earliest schools with reliable records was Li Ying Collegeestablished in 1075 in present day New Territories.[5] By 1860 Hong Kong had 20 village schools. Chinese who were wealthy did not educate their children in Hong Kong, instead they sent them to major Chinese cities, such as Canton, for traditional Chinese education.[5] The changes came with the arrival of theBritish in 1841.

At first Hong Kong's education came from Protestant and Catholic missionarieswho provided social services. Italian missionaries began to provide boy-only education to British and Chinese youth in 1843.[6] By 1861 Frederick Stewartwould become "The Founder of Hong Kong Education" for integrating a modern western-style education model into the Colonial Hong Kong school system.[7] One of the much contested debate was whether schools should offer Vernacular education, teaching in Chinese at all.[4] Education was considered a luxury for the elite and the rich. The first school to open the floodgate of western medical practice to the Far East was the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. The London Missionary Society and Sir James Cantlie started the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1887 (although, the 'for Chinese' was later dropped from the name).[8] In addition, the London Missionary Society founded Ying Wa Girls' School in 1900. Belilios Public School was a girls' secondary school founded in 1890 – the first government school in Hong Kong that provided bilingual education in English and Chinese. The push for Chinese education in a British system did not begin until the rise of social awareness of the Chinese community following the 1919May Fourth Movement and 1934 New Life Movement in China.[4][5] Educating the poor did not become a priority until they accounted for the majority of the population. Financial issues were addressed in the 1970s.[9] A small group of South Asian Hong Kongers marched through Central demanding more schooling in the English language on 3 June 2007.[10] In the 2013/14 school year, there are 569 primary schools, 514 secondary day schools and 61 special schools.[11]

Contents

  [hide] 

1   Pre-school education

2   Primary and secondary education o 2.1   School years o 2.2   Primary education o 2.3   Secondary education o 2.4   Further education o 2.5   Alternative education options

3   Tertiary and Higher education 4   Adult education 5   Education for immigrant and non-Chinese-speaking children 6   International education 7   Types of schools 8   History

o 8.1   Before the 1960s o 8.2   From the 1960s to 1971 o 8.3   From 1971 to the 1980s o 8.4   From the 1980s to the 2000s o 8.5   From 2012

9   Class size 10   Discipline 11   Criticisms

o 11.1   Spoon feeding o 11.2   Education reform

12   See also 13   References 14   External links

Pre-school education[edit]

Pre-school education in Hong Kong is not free and fees are payable by pupils' parents. However, parents whose children have the right of abode in Hong Kong can pay for part of their fees with a voucher from the government under the Preprimary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS). In 2013, the amount of subsidy under the PEVS is $16,800.

Primary and secondary education[edit]

Every child in Hong Kong, without any reasonable excuse,[12]:Section 74, (1) is required by law to attend a primary school after the child has attained the age of 6 years.[12]:Section 3, "primary education" It is also required to attend a secondary school after primary education and is completed before he attains the age of 19 years.[12]:Section 3, "secondary education" However, child who has completed Form 3 of secondary education and whose parent can produce evidence to the satisfaction of the Permanent Secretary for Education, shall not apply.[12]:Section 74, (3) (c) (i) Education in the public sector is free.

School years[edit]

Age on birthday in

school year

Year Curriculum Stages Schools

2

N/A Pre-school Education

N/A

Kindergarten

3

Nursery School4

5

6 Primary 1

Primary EducationPrimary School or Junior School

Middle School

7 Primary 2

8 Primary 3

9 Primary 4

10 Primary 5

11 Primary 6

12Secondary

1Seconda

ry

Secondary Education

Secondary Education

Secondary School

ESFSecondary

Education

,Sixth Form

College, or High School

School

13Secondary

2

14Secondary

3

15Secondary

4

Diploma of

Secondary

Education

GCSE / iGCSE

16Secondary

5

International

Baccalaureate

17

Secondary 6

{HKDSE} /Lower Sixth

A levels 

/International Baccalaureate

18

Local undergradu

ate programme

N/A N/A N/A N/A

Primary education[edit]

Children receive primary education usually from the age of 6 until 12. Six subjects are studied, including English, Chinese, mathematics, General Studies, music, visual arts and physical education. At schools with religious affiliations, religious education or bible studies may be studied as well.

Secondary education[edit]

Secondary education is separated into junior and senior years. In junior years, the curriculum is a broad one where history, geography and science are studied alongside subjects that have already been studied at primary schools. In senior years, this becomes more selective and students have a choice over what and how much is to be studied. Almost all schools butPLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form College and its feeder junior secondary college have both sessions.[13]

Further education[edit]

Commerce stream in secondary schools are considered vocational in nature. Students in the Commerce stream would usually enter the workplace to gain practical work experience by this point. Further education pursuit in Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education or universities abroad are common. The Manpower Development Committee (MDC) advices the government on co-ordination, regulation and promotion of the sector. In addition, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) ensures the level of standard is met through the "Apprentice Ordinance". The VTC also operate three skills-centres for people with disabilities. secondary schools in Hong Kong are going to be cut down to only two years due to the switch in the government.

Alternative education options[edit]

International institutions provide both primary and secondary education in Hong Kong. International institutions like schools within the English Schools Foundation, Li Po Chun United World College, Hong Kong International School, Chinese International School, Victoria Shanghai Academy German Swiss International School, Canadian International School,French International School and Yew Chung International School, Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School, Singapore International School teach with English as the primary language, with some sections bilingual in German, French and Chinese. International school students rarely take Hong Kong public exams. British students take GCSE, IGCSE and A-levels. US students take APs. Increasingly, international schools follow the International Baccalaureate (IBDP) program, and enter universities through non-JUPAS direct entry. International students apply on a per school basis, whereas Hong Kong local students submit 1 application for multiple local universities as a JUPAS applicant.

Tertiary and Higher education[edit]

University of Hong Kong.

Main article: Higher education in Hong Kong

Higher education remains exclusive in Hong Kong. Fewer than 20,000 students are offered places funded by the government every year, although this number has more than doubled over the last three decades.

As a result, many continue their studies abroad. The following is some of the destinations that students in Hong Kong go to for tertiary education and their respective numbers.[6]

Country 1975 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1998 2000

Hong Kong11,575

21,538 25,995 29,591 34,556 42,72152,494

59,528 59,408

Australia 572 1,658 1,687 1,889 3,864 6,70711,932

17,135 20,739

US11,930

9,000 9,720 9,160 12,630 14,01812,940

8,730 7,545

UK 4,434 6,500 6,935 7,300 7,700 7,600 7,400 5,450 5,200

Canada 6,644 7,723 6,730 5,840 6,372 6,600 6,589 5,000 5,000

Taiwan 2,626 3,816 3,854 3,850 3,633 3,450 2,663 1,487 1,171

Adult education[edit]

Adult education is popular, since it gives middle-aged adults a chance to obtain a tertiary degree. The concept was not common several decades ago. The EMB has commissioned two non-profit school operators to provide evening courses. Both operators have set up fee remission schemes to help the adult learners in need of financial assistance. Adult education courses also provide Vocational Training Council through various universities and private institutions. The Open University of Hong Kong is one establishment for mature students. Several secondary schools also operate adult education sessions, the first being Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary School, while PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form Collegewent further so as to offer associate degree and joint-degree programmes.

Education for immigrant and non-Chinese-speaking children[edit]

The Education Bureau provides education services for immigrant children from Mainland China and other countries, as well as non-Chinese-speaking Hong Kong children. Free "Induction Programmes" of up to 60 hours have been offered to NAC by non-government organisations. The EMB also provides a 6-month full-time "Initiation Programme" incorporating both academic and non-academic support services, for NAC before they are formally placed into

mainstream schools. Hayes Tang (2002) provided a good sociology of education thesis on the NACs' adaptation and school performance

International education[edit]

As of January 2015, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC)[14] listed Hong Kong as having 175 international schools.[15] ISC defines an 'international school' in the following terms "ISC includes an international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of pre-school, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking country, or if a school in a country where English is one of the official languages, offers an English-medium curriculum other than the country’s national curriculum and is international in its orientation."[16] This definition is used by publications including The Economist.[17]

Types of schools[edit]

Type Category Description

Government schools

Comprehensive Run by the government.

Aided schools

Subsidized schools

ComprehensiveMost common, run by charitable and religious (Christian, Buddhist, Taoist,TWGHs and others) organisations with government funding.

Grant schools

Subsidised

Schools run by charitable or religious organisations with government funding according to the now defunct Grant Code. Currently receiving government aid in accordance with the Codes of Aid [3], which also apply for the Subsidized schools.

Direct Subsidy Scheme(DSS) schools

Private

Run by various non-government organisations. HKSAR Government has encouraged non-government primary and secondary schools which have attained a sufficiently high educational standard to join the DSS by providing subsidies to enhance the quality of private school education since 1991/92 school year. Under the scheme, schools are free to decide on their curriculum, fees and entrance requirements.

Caput schools SubsidisedSubsidies are provided according to the number of pupils admitted.

Private schools Private

Run by various private organisations, and mainly accept local Chinese children. Admissions are based more on academic merit than on financial ability, they teach in both English and in Cantonese.

Private international schools

Private

Provide an alternative to the mainstream education, in exchange for much higher tuition fees although it is recently deemed as high-pressure as local mainstream education. The schools teach streams in both English, and in the language of its sponsoring nation e.g. French, German, Japanese etc.

English Schools Foundation

Subsidised

Provide an alternative to the high-pressured mainstream education. However the tuition fees are lower than many other international schools as many ESF schools enjoy subvention by the Hong Kong Government to educate English-speaking children who cannot access the local system.

History[edit]

Following the introduction of the comprehensive system in the 1960s in the UK, children in Hong Kong transformed from the old education system to the new.[9][18]

Before the 1960s[edit]Length Education type Type

4 years Secondary-middle school

3 + 2 years Secondary-high school

From the 1960s to 1971[edit]

Length Education type Type

6 years Primary school

5 + 2 years Secondary school

From 1971 to the 1980s[edit]

Length Education type Type

6 years Primary educationcompulsory government funded as of September 1971[1] :Chapter 3, Paragraph 3.4

3 years Secondary education

compulsory government funded as of September 1978[1]

:Chapter 1, Paragraph 1.1

2 + 2 years Secondary school selective

From the 1980s to the 2000s[edit]

Length Education typeAdditional

namesType Focus School year

3 years Kindergarten voluntary General Sept – June

6 years Primary education Primary 1 to 6 compulsory General Sept – July

3 years Secondary education Form 1 to 3 compulsory General Sept – July

2 yearsSenior Secondary(leads to HKCEE)

Form 4, and 5 selective SpecialisedSept – July (Form 4),Sept – April (Form 5)

2 yearsMatriculation Course(leads to HKALE)

Form 6 (Lower Sixth Form)Form 7 (Upper Sixth Form)

selective, performance based

Specialised

Sept – July (Form 6), Sept – February/March (Form 7)

Depends on subject

Tertiary education(leads to bachelors, masters and other academic degrees)

selective Specialised Varies

From 2012[edit]

Length Education type Additional names Type FocusSchool year

3 years Kindergarten voluntary GeneralSept – June

6 years Primary education Primary 1 to 6 compulsory GeneralSept – July

3 years Junior Secondary educationJunior Secondary 1 to 3 (Form 1 to 3)

compulsory GeneralSept – July

3 years Senior Secondary Education(leads to Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education)

Senior Secondary 1 to 3 (Form 4 to 6)

selective Specialised Sept – July (Senior Secondary 1–2),Aug – Feb (Senior Secondary

3)

Depends on subject

Tertiary education(leads to bachelors, masters and other academic degrees)

selective Specialised Varies

Class size[edit]

Many primary schools in Hong Kong offer half-day schooling, splitting by AM and PM to handle the demand. The two sessions are usually treated as separate school entities with two different headmasters. To make up for the time of shortened half days, students are sometimes required to attend alternate Saturdays. Most primary schools are gradually moving to full school day systems as government policy aims to phase out half-day schooling over time as resource permits.

Due to the drop in birth rate in recent years, many primary schools were forced to cut classes, cut teachers and even close down. There have been debates that one should seize the opportunity to promote small class teaching. Doing so could mitigate the pressure of teachers, class and school reductions, on top of improving ratio of students to teachers.

Discipline[edit]

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Good behaviour has always been emphasised in Hong Kong, to the point that it is sometimes said to hinder pupils' development. Misbehavior is recorded and shown on school reports.

Criticisms[edit]

Spoon feeding[edit]

Education in Hong Kong has often been described as 'spoon fed'. Cram schools in Hong Kong have also become a popular standard in parallel to regular education.

Education reform[edit]

With the advent of education reform there is a greater emphasis on group projects, open-ended assignments on top of traditional homework. The current workload of a primary student in Hong Kong includes approximately two hours of schoolwork nightly. Along with extra-curricular activities, Hong Kong's education has become synonymous for leaning towards quantity. As early as March 1987, education advisory inspectors became concerned with the excessive amounts of "mechanical work and meaningless homework".[19] In particular, history education

has been recognised as ineffective, with critics claiming that the curriculum is not capable of delivering a sense of identity. Not only that, students have to memorise the whole history texts, thereby indicating that rote-learning has greater priority than absorbing and understanding material.[19]

Some have criticised the system for having too narrow of a stream focus, too early on. Legco Member Alan Leong of the pointed out in a guest lecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong that secondary level science students are incapable of participating in meaningful discussions on history, arts, or literature. Vice versa journalists of arts stream background are incapable of accurately discussing technological issues. The narrow focus of education in Hong Kong has been a concern.

The pervasive perception from observers in overseas education institutions generally is that a typical Hong Kong student compared with other students, even against other students in the Asia region, lacks systematic decision-making confidence and relies on repetition and undeveloped answers. This deviates from the common benchmark of intellect where value propositions are generated from innovation and distinctive solutions, and this has led to much schism in the debate of educational direction of Hong Kong, where the populace makes no such aspiration for intellect but seek constant reaffirmation of the value of myriad certificates obtained through pedagogy throughout their working lives. The desperation to seek standing in life through education is further highlighted by severe ironies such as:

1) Senior education officials often acclaim the excellence of Hong Kong education, yet few if any will let their children matriculate locally, preferring overseas universities instead.

2) A certificate driven society that takes pride in its academic excellence is unable to devise a suitable benchmark of excellence itself, with a low public approval of the local educational system, relies on certification from outside Hong Kong.