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Chinese astronauts have a live chat with Hong Kong students from the Tiangong space station on September 3. Photo: Handout

Letters | Chat with Chinese astronauts can help Hong Kong students broaden their horizons

  • Readers discuss the significance of a live chat between Chinese astronauts and Hong Kong students and compare China’s decision to ban exams for young primary students with a similar policy in Singapore
On September 3, three Chinese astronauts working at the space station Tiangong had a live chat with Hong Kong students. Many schools were willing to make arrangements for their students to watch the live broadcast on campus. The classroom was enormous in terms of the distance over which the conversation was held.

For the students who got to interact with the “taikonauts”, it was surely an honour to be part of this historic moment. In fact, given that STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education is now a crucial element of students’ growth and learning, this rare opportunity is no doubt an asset to the young participants on Earth.

Not only did this dialogue enhance the Hong Kong audience’s exposure to science, it is also a form of national education. It enabled the younger generation to learn about our country’s inventions and technology. In fact, an invention from a team led by a scholar of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University was used in China’s Tianwen-1 Mars rover mission.

Students from Hong Kong have performed extraordinarily well in STEM subjects traditionally, whether in open examinations or undergraduate courses. Some bright students pursue postgraduate courses in top-tier universities in Hong Kong, on the mainland and abroad. If doors open for them, their participation in large science projects at the national level would broaden their horizons and enrich their resumes.

With our country’s wholehearted support and pro-Hong Kong policies, our university students can aim higher. They could plan their careers and station themselves in any city in China.

We should appreciate our nation’s scientific achievements, which have enhanced human exploration of the universe. We are indeed very proud of our nation and to be Chinese.

Following the dialogue with the astronauts, Hong Kong science-related museums should join hands with the national space administration to host joint events, such as sharing sessions in Hong Kong featuring Chinese astronauts and space scientists. Outstanding engineering and science graduates from Hong Kong should be recommended for national space projects.

We look forward to more meaningful events, including but not limited to science, culture and sports, with mainland participants in the near future. Hong Kong students would benefit from such exchange sessions.

Chu Kar-kin, Ho Man Tin

What China’s education system can learn from Singapore’s

China has banned written exams for the first and second grades of primary school. For other grades, the Ministry of Education allows a final exam every semester.

It is believed that the new rules will be able to relieve pressure on parents and students in China’s highly competitive education system, and perhaps prevent children from low-income families who cannot afford tuition from losing at the starting line. The system could surely be fairer. Besides, children should know studying is just not about passing exams.

Singapore, which has a world-class education system, has cancelled all exams for primary one. Instead, classwork, homework and quizzes are used to gauge students’ progress.

A low test score in primary school should not be taken to mean the child has achieved nothing. When parents are too anxious about children’s test scores, this only diminishes children’s interest in learning and makes them lose confidence.

Singapore evidently attaches great importance to children’s enjoyment of learning, which may be one of the reasons for the country’s success in education.

In contrast, the Chinese system traditionally places too much emphasis on results, and many parents attach great importance to children’s test scores.

Another problem is that wealth inequality often results in education inequality. For example, China’s obsession with education has affected housing prices, with wealthy parents snapping up properties in school catchment areas to get their children enrolled in top schools.

Even with the Chinese education ministry’s new rules, the social status quo will remain the same. Low-income families will be relieved there are no exams, and therefore no need to spend money on extra classes. Well-off families have the means to hire private tutors for children.

For the system to become truly fair, people should change their mentality towards education and stop focusing on academic results. Otherwise, all the rules in the world will not make a difference.

Lilian Yau, Tseung Kwan O

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