While the market is saturated with different study tour products, Matthew Nicholson, co-principal of the primary section at Yew Chung International School, has a few pointers as to what makes a study tour a truly meaningful experience for young students.

The school has a World Classroom programme for Year 5 and 6 students to go on study tours, mainly in Asia. Year 5 students can visit comparatively nearby destinations such as Xian, Beijing and Taipei.

When students reach their secondary years, they enrol in China Classroom, a tailor-made study tour programme that takes them to a wider range of mainland destinations such as Huangshan and Shanxi.

The key to making these study tours meaningful, Nicholson says, is to ensure that it is an organic part of their overall learning experience. For example, he recently took a group of students to Xian as part of their study of ancient China. Before they went on the trip, both parents and students were briefed about its learning goals, enabling them to make preparations beforehand.

Apart from fun things such as making dumplings, seeing the Terracotta Warriors and Horses and cycling on the city wall, they also had to complete certain tasks and projects both during and after the trip, to ensure that they were able to analyse it critically in relation to what they have learned in the classroom.

Nicholson believes that real-live experience of different places, social groups and cultures plays a vital and irreplaceable role in shaping children to become global citizens.

“For many children who may not have experienced China, going to Xian and seeing the things that they can affects their mindset when they think about various subjects,” he says.

“Experience is life-changing,” Nicholson adds. “People always keep a little part of that place in their heart for the rest of their life.”

Doubts about China trips

However, he acknowledges that some Hong Kong families have a fear of mainland China, which they perceive as less safe or clean than Hong Kong.

For example, after some particularly bad press about Beijing’s pollution, traffic problems and a bad outbreak of bird flu, the school was obliged to explore other mainland destinations to make anxious parents feel more comfortable with the idea of a mainland tour.

Bridgette Po, a parent of two children, says she would not feel comfortable signing her children up for mainland study tours. Working in a professional services company, negative experiences with mainland clients have led her to doubt the enforcement of law and order across the border.

“I have had clients who would blatantly ignore what had been agreed in black and white in a legal document, and suddenly pulled out of important business decisions despite all the legal repercussions,” Po says.

“I don’t doubt the educational value of mainland cities in themselves,” she adds. “However, as a parent, safety always comes first. I don’t need my children to check into five-star hotels when they are on a study tour, but I have to know that they are in a safe environment where they eat and drink properly, and where they will be well taken care of should any emergency happen.”

The appeal of Taiwan

Po prefers Taiwan as a Chinese-language study tour destination because it seems to promise better safety, and also because of a closer affinity with its culture. “I am more culturally familiar with Taiwan,” she says. “I can tell you who their authors are, what food they sell on the street, and what songs they make. The mainland is a blank spot for me.”

Cheung Yung-pong, principal of SHK St James’ Primary School and vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Island School Heads Association, says that while the mainland had been a traditional exchange destination for 10 years, Taiwan is becoming increasingly popular for educators, parents and students alike for study tours.

Cheung says the political climate at home, marked by events such as the row over the national education curriculum and the controversy over a possible hidden agenda behind government-funded mainland study tours, have created scepticism in society about the purpose of mainland exchanges.

In the 2013-14 financial year, the government spent at least HK$87.4 million sponsoring mainland exchange tours and internship programmes for primary, secondary and post-secondary students. It recently announced plans to further step up exchanges by earmarking another HK$190 million to facilitate exchange and sister-school schemes in the next three years.

“Ironically, the more the government advocates it, the more sceptical people become,” Cheung says. “As the general public grows more doubtful about mainland China, the demand for short-haul study tours is spilling over to other destinations such as Taiwan, or even South Korea.”

Cheung says Taiwan does not have the same political burden. Apart from being an opportunity for students to practise their Putonghua skills, it is also a leader in the field of life education, with primary students being taught about the concept of life and death, of care and empathy, and religion and spirituality through various ways.

The countryside also offers students a glimpse into life on a farm and exposure to various green education topics such as nature conservation, reusable energy, and environmental protection.

K-pop culture, Singapore safari

South Korea, on the other hand, is also on the radar of primary schools, but for different reasons. “Parents and students are not strangers to South Korea, thanks to the immense success of their pop culture,” Cheung says.

“But even for educators, South Korea is an increasingly interesting place because of their success in technology and innovation,” Cheung adds. “The language barrier may be a consideration, but it has become easier because more and more schools are teaching Putonghua.”

Jacky Chiu, general manager of Hong Kong Student Travel, says mainland China remains the most popular shorthaul destination for primary students.

Singapore is also becoming popular for short-haul destinations, due to its cultural diversity and the great variety of learning experiences it can offer, Chiu says.

Both education institutions and tourist attractions in Singapore are ready and willing to adapt to the needs and interests of schoolchildren. For example, Wildlife Reserves Singapore organises activities for different interest groups at the Singapore Zoo, Bird Park and Night Safari according to the age and interests of the visitors. Similar arrangements are also offered at other educational tourist attractions such as the Marine Life Park and Underwater World.

For those who prefer a more structured way of learning, there are also a handful of learning centres specialising in different areas such as mathematics, science, English, and even space technology. These cater to primary school students from across Asia, including the mainland, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

“Singapore’s multicultural background is very appealing to schools,” Chiu says. “It also offers a lot of ideas for educational activities that look at how people of different cultural backgrounds get along so well.”

Too young for study tours?

On the other hand, Chiu finds there is a trend for parents to sign up increasingly young children for even longer study tours. In the past, most parents might not have considered long-haul destinations for children under 10. However, parents nowadays will consider sending children as young as six to long-haul destinations such as Britain and the United States for more than two weeks.

“Parents want to send their children further and further away for an extended period of time at an increasingly young age,” he says. “In the past, most longhaul study tours would be made up of 10 or 11 year-olds. Now we have pupils as young as eight, seven or even six years old.”

Anusha Kumar, a mother of an eight year-old who is studying in the international system, says she would prefer overseas study tours of a longer duration, i.e. two to three weeks.

“Most of the trip will be spent on flights and logistics if it is only a three- or five day study tour,” Kumar says. “That is why I prefer longer tours. Two to three weeks would be a good duration.”

However, Kumar says she will wait until her son reaches the age of 10 or so before signing him up for any overseas study tour. It is important, she says, for parents to feel confident that their children have the organisational and life skills to cope with different people and situations before sending them away from home.

A spokesman from an independent tour operator founded by a group of previous school teachers, and who preferred not to be named, says longer trips do not necessarily benefit junior students.

He says that that primary and secondary students have different learning needs and appetites, and these should be taken into consideration in designing a study tour for children. For example, safety is especially important for primary students, and their learning experience will focus on the formation of values. For secondary schools, the focus will be on developing subject knowledge, critical thinking and self-discipline.

The spokesman also advises parents to ask the right questions about study tours such as the educational materials to be included, the goals to be achieved, and what exchange opportunities with local schools and organisations the trip can offer.

This is especially important when many so-called “educational tours” on the market are packed with shopping trips and sightseeing activities, and offer little educational value in return, he says.

Chiu says parents have to be clear what they want for their children, and what the children are ready for. They can always choose a thematic family tour to combine family and learning time if they feel their children are not yet ready to go solo.

“There are different ways to enhance your children’s exposure,” Chiu says.“The most important thing is safety, and building up the confidence of both parents and children to explore the world.”