Preliminary results of a survey of Hong Kong pupils show most have tutors, but a former education chief at the United Nations says this is not a recipe for success.
Mark Bray, who is now a professor of comparative education at the University of Hong Kong, surveyed 1,720 pupils in 16 schools this past academic year, and found that 54 per cent of Form Three pupils have tutors, and an alarming 72 per cent of Form Six students have tutors.
Bray said the pervasiveness of private tutoring creates social inequalities. 'If you're rich, you have a one-on-one tutor, and if you're not so rich, you can go to King's Glory and it won't cost a lot.'
King's Glory Education Centre is one of the many 'cram schools' that have become lucrative businesses and provide exam tips. He said this system was churning out 'robots' that excel in exams, but have scant time for non-academic activities.
Bray, who was director of Unesco's International Institute for Educational Planning in Paris between 2006 and 2010, compared his results to those of other countries.
He found that the Hong Kong results were closest to South Korea - considered the country with the most competitive academic culture - where 72 per cent of middle school pupils have tutors, and 60 per cent of high school pupils have tutors. He also interviewed hundreds of pupils and teachers, and the study results will be released later this year.
The problem of private tutoring - or 'shadow education' - is global, but Bray said the four places with the most pupils receiving tutoring were South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, though the number in mainland China is rapidly growing.