We need fresh ideas on education amid official inaction, Hong Kong principals say, as 400 gather for brainstorming conference
To hear veteran educators tell it, government is only focused on short-term problems and pumping money into the system
When Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor took the reins of government last year, she promised fresh thinking and innovative solutions to the city’s problems.
Half a year on, education experts say that while much-needed money has been pumped into the sector, ideas for reform to address fundamental flaws in the system are still scarce.
Fearing this might continue, 400 secondary school heads have formed a platform for teachers, parents and pupils to brainstorm the future direction of education in the city.
“The government spends quite a bit on education and there are a lot of educators with the heart to teach, but why are people still not satisfied with the system?” said Michael Wong Wai-yu, honorary executive secretary of the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools. “Why are the youth unhappy?”
With questions like these on their minds, the association is organising the two-day event for Friday and Saturday titled Education Colloquium: Vision 2047, which will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.