Rise of exam-cramming system will widen Hong Kong’s social divide, educators warn
‘Rock star’ tutors are teaching rich kids how to pass exams – but are they passing on any real knowledge? And what about those families who can’t afford the fees?
In just 18 seconds, tutor queen Mia Wong Man-chi recites 16 English tenses in one go, while her students look on in awe.
Wong’s writing hand and her notes are enlarged and projected on a big screen. When she marks knowledge points with different coloured markers on her notes, the students follow, using the same colours to mark the same spots. When Wong draws a star, the students do the same. When she jots down some lines, the students copy the same lines.
“There are many things I teach in a class,” says Wong. “Besides basic English knowledge, [I also teach] skills that can enable students to finish a reading [in exams] without quite knowing the meanings of specific words.”
According to a 2012 survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, about 76 per cent of 524 Primary Five to Form Six pupils said they went to tutoring classes and 63 per cent were receiving tutoring. About 56 per cent of those who were receiving tutoring spent at least HK$1,000 a month on this extra cramming.
Educators say the prevalence of tutoring reflect a high-pressure education system, society’s psychology of fearing of losing out and an increasingly competitive, globalised economy.
They worry that some forms of tutoring, where teachers only focus on teaching children how to pass exams without imparting them with any actual knowledge, have deviated from the purposes of education in developing all-round pupils who are creative and curious about study.
They also fear the danger of rich families getting educational advantages under such a system, thus leading to social inequality.