‘Father of liberal studies’ scores a poor DSE grade, says exam fails to reward critical thinking and originality among Hong Kong students
- Subject is meant to encourage critical thinking, but the exam is marked ‘too mechanically’
- Educator behind liberal studies course says changes needed in the way it is taught and tested
The man who helped design liberal studies as a compulsory subject for the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) in Hong Kong has revealed he is unhappy with the way the examination is being set and marked.
John Tan Kang, dubbed the “father of liberal studies” because of his role in developing the subject, believed examinations had become more rigid and were being marked in a mechanical fashion which deviated from the original aim of rewarding students who produced original, non-mainstream answers.
He came to this conclusion after sitting the examination twice himself, and not faring as well as might be expected for someone who was the chief curriculum development officer for the subject from 2006 to 2009.
Introduced as a core subject to senior secondary students in 2009, liberal studies aims to strengthen critical thinking skills, expand knowledge and raise awareness of contemporary issues.
The subject covers issues related to contemporary Hong Kong, modern China, and globalisation, and students are assessed on an independent school-based project which accounts for 20 per cent of their grade, and a public exam which accounts for the remaining 80 per cent.
The subject has become controversial in recent years with calls to make it elective. It is still compulsory, with a government-appointed task force conducting an ongoing review of its curriculum.
