Hong Kong education officials may step up classroom inspections to keep tabs on teaching of revamped liberal studies course
- City’s education chief acknowledges the possibility of increased oversight in Legislative Council meeting
- The liberal studies subject is being reformed by the government after coming under sustained criticism from the pro-establishment camp
Officials are mulling stepping up classroom inspections to monitor the teaching of the controversial liberal studies subject after its reintroduction in revamped form, Hong Kong’s education minister said on Friday.
Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung also said the subject would remain a compulsory course for senior secondary school students, despite repeated calls from pro-establishment lawmakers to abolish it altogether.
During the two-hour meeting, many pro-establishment lawmakers expressed support for the education chief’s moves to revamp liberal studies, including renaming the subject, turning grading into a simple pass or fail, having all textbooks vetted and requiring students to visit mainland China to learn about national development.
But some pressed Yeung on how the authorities could “effectively monitor” teachers’ behaviour following the sweeping changes to the curriculum.
“At schools, principals should be able to lead their teams, including their deputies and panel heads, to monitor every teacher’s practice, their teaching content and their performance in classrooms,” Yeung told lawmakers.