Towards a brighter Hong Kong
The Tung administration, despite its weak position, is prepared to engage in complex and costly education reforms - for which it deserves praise and support.
The government has finally released its blueprint on education reforms and plans to introduce a four-year university degree programme. The '3+3+4' model - involving three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education - has largely been welcome by the education sector.
In the past decade, our mainland neighbours have been working hard on education reforms because people care about education, and because they want to improve their international competitiveness. Hong Kong is behind Singapore and Taiwan in education reforms; even the mainland appears to be more innovative. It is high time for us to catch up.
Formal education in the Asia-Pacific region has emphasised the absorption of knowledge. Now we are facing the challenges of a knowledge-based economy. University graduates in the region fail to demonstrate an edge in terms of independent thinking, creativity and problem-solving capability. No wonder the region's governments have turned to education reforms.
The major consideration of a four-year degree programme is to reduce the pressure of public examinations. In a university environment, students will no longer be spoon-fed, and will be freed from examination pressure. Hopefully they will have more room to engage in independent thinking, and to cultivate their abilities to solve problems and carry out research. Hence, education workers support the government initiative. The government's challenge is to do a good job in consultation, involve the parties concerned and mobilise their enthusiasm in implementing the reforms.
When major reforms are initiated at various levels, it is natural to find a lot of resistance and criticisms. If they are not handled well, the cumulative effect may derail the reforms.
A four-year degree programme and education reforms inevitably raise the issue of resources. In view of existing economic difficulties, parents are naturally worried about their financial burden. The government's plan to provide more loans for students and to extend their periods of repayment is a move in the right direction. Spending on education will increase rapidly in a knowledge-based economy, and the government's main responsibility is to ensure that no students will have to give up their studies because of their families' financial difficulties.
Education is an investment in human resources. In the United Sates, some middle-class families start savings schemes upon the births of their children, so as to meet the substantial cost on their education. The cost of formal education for the children of Hong Kong families will certainly be rising.
There is no easy way out. The costs of education reforms will likely be borne by all parties concerned. The government cannot avoid the responsibility of bearing the rising costs of education; and the schools, especially the universities, will have to strive to be more cost-effective.
There is no ideological confrontation over education reforms in the city, and it is an issue which will have a serious impact on Hong Kong's international competitiveness - and therefore its future. It is a project which can unite Hong Kong people to work together for a common goal.
Joseph Cheng Yu-shek is a professor of political science at City University of Hong Kong
