Liberal studies must be elective subject again
Liberal studies, one of the four core subjects of the new senior secondary school curriculum, should revert to an elective subject, as it was before 2009.
I could not agree more with Garick Wong ("Liberal studies too subjective for core topic", March 30) and Lisa Chung Lai-yan ("Liberal studies not suitable as core subject", March 8). Liberal studies, one of the four core subjects of the new senior secondary school curriculum, should revert to an elective subject, as it was before 2009.
The subject comprises three key components: self and personal development, society and culture, and science, technology and environment, plus an "independent inquiry" research requirement. Self and personal development is not an academic subject. It should be taught outside the classroom through individual counselling or extracurricular group projects permitting student/adult interaction.
As for teaching society and culture, even an academic involved in curriculum design admitted that classroom instruction revolves too much around discussion of topical events. Therefore discussions tend to be too subjective, and students have little to gain other than venting their views on topical issues or absorbing their teachers' opinions.
If Hong Kong is to make the most of its Western heritage, discussions of the relationship between the individual and society are incomplete without some introduction of the political theories of John Locke and John Stuart Mill. Few secondary teachers can lead such discussions based on objective theory rather than subjective views.
The independent inquiry research requirement places an unrealistic burden on teachers and students of most secondary schools in Hong Kong (other than the elite ones), which lack the necessary experience or resources. The Education Bureau's recent relaxation of its requirements merely lowers the bar to enable students to score better, without enhancing the educational value of such a requirement.
Moreover, since liberal studies became a core subject, the number of registered day students taking English literature in the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination has dropped, in 2014, to 366, Chinese history 6,849, history 6,213, Chinese literature 2,604, maths (A1 calculus and statistics) 4,656, and maths (A2 algebra and calculus) 5,716.
Bookstores are now devoid of the works of Western and Chinese intellectual giants who contributed to making Hong Kong such a dynamic city.
The continuation of liberal studies as a core subject will produce, over time, many students with a poor understanding of their Chinese and Western heritage, little knowledge of China or the West and lower mathematical attainment. Hong Kong's educational needs will be much better served if liberal studies becomes an elective subject again.
