General education deserves a prominent place in the city’s university curriculum (“Coronavirus pandemic and protests mean Hong Kong and US need general education more than ever, June 15), yet it is often dismissed as superficial and unimportant in the local context. Worse still, “general” often carries the misleading connotation that the courses are at odds with the specialist tradition of Hong Kong’s undergraduate learning, with its roots in the colonial education system. With this in mind, pragmatic students take the courses to fulfil graduation requirements but benefit little from the curriculum framework.

If implemented properly, general education could form the cornerstone of university education. Apart from extending students’ knowledge beyond a single academic discipline, it can also inspire interdisciplinary academic research. To achieve this, the curriculum should by no means be an array of entry-level courses but be intellectually stimulating enough to generate perspectives that enhance students’ understanding about their areas of specialisation.

Broadly speaking, general education should be an integral part of liberal arts education characterised by the emphasis on creativity, critical thinking and close teacher-student relationships. Originating in Europe and North America, this educational philosophy took root in Hong Kong in the 1990s. However, despite the efforts of several institutions to promote its study, it never gained popularity, largely due to the entrenched elitist thinking that universities are but a vocational training tower for privileged professions. The Asian authoritarian and spoon-feeding mindset reinforces this perception.