There has been much heated debate regarding Hong Kong's new secondary school curriculum.
One education expert said that the rationale behind the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education is to help youngsters acquire a range of abilities as a basis to plan their future instead of being a gateway to university. I certainly agree that the conventional mentality of flocking to universities is wrong.
A lot of people have succeeded in their careers without degrees. For example, Apple founder Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, who created Facebook, dropped out of college. So who can say that university is the only key to success?
Just because a person has a degree it does not mean he or she is better than someone who did not study at university. Some professions, especially those in the service industries, require a good work attitude and confidence. These qualities can only be observed through employees' work performance, rather than academic achievements. Moreover, the qualities that some occupations need are hard to teach. For instance, artists and designers depend on creativity and innovation and a university degree may not be what they need.
How many ordinary school students can be like the exceptional people I have described?
The new curriculum has yet to prove its effectiveness in developing students' abilities. I am in the second batch of diploma candidates and I honestly cannot see how the system will help us to become mature and responsible young adults developing our own unique talents. We are still reduced to studying according to the syllabus.