Different attitudes towards learning

I went on a four-day trip to a middle school in Shunde , on the mainland a few weeks ago. I discovered many differences between the lives of students there and here in Hong Kong.

Mainland students lead extremely disciplined lives both at school and in their dormitories.

During lessons they never chat, but they are very active in answering their teachers' questions.

They put a lot of effort into studying, and attend revision classes at night after school.

In Hong Kong, we rely heavily on our teachers for notes, answers and so on, and we tend to blame them when we fail to do well.

The thing that impressed me most is that the mainland students always look to themselves when it comes to studying. They have shown me that initiative makes a big difference.

Yau Chun-hei, STFA Tam Pak Yu College

From the Editor

Thanks for the letter, Chun-hei. It's always interesting to see how students in other countries perform in school.

Schools in the west are a lot more relaxed than those on the mainland, and you can see how these students are slipping in their grades while those from Asia are setting a high standard.

However, there are those who would argue that this more relaxed kind of education produces graduates who are more able to adapt to a fast-changing world. They say these students are able to be more creative and think more critically.

It would be interesting to find out what our readers think about the difference in systems.

Susan, Editor