People in some Western countries fear Hong Kong will lose academic freedom after the handover, Director of Education Helen Yu Lai Ching-ping said yesterday.
Some academics lacked understanding of Hong Kong and were worried the territory would face a bleak future after July 1, said Mrs Yu, just back from a five-day education conference in the United States.
The Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement held last week in Memphis, Tennessee, attracted more than 600 participants.
Mrs Yu said: 'We realised in the congress that some people including the media there did not quite understand Hong Kong's situation.
'They feared the change of sovereignty would block Hong Kong's development. They thought our policy would be affected by the Government in China.' To allay their fears, she told them it would 'be business as usual and that Hong Kong will continue to improve as stipulated in the Basic Law'.
Many participants showed great interest in Hong Kong's education affairs and a symposium was held as part of the congress, she said.
