Hong Kong’s stressed out liberal studies teachers need more guidance from government, think tank finds
- A survey has found that compared to their colleagues in other subjects, teachers of the revamped liberal studies course are more worried about the coming start of the school year
- The poll also finds that students are largely uninterested in two of the three core themes of the subject, which has been rechristened ‘citizenship and social development’
Officials need to provide more reference materials for Hong Kong educators stressed at the prospect of teaching the newly revamped liberal studies subject in the new school year, according to a policy research body.
The Youth Ideas think tank, under the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, also found in its latest survey that secondary school students were largely uninterested in two of the key themes under the newly renamed “citizenship and social development” subject – namely “Hong Kong under ‘one country, two systems’” and “our country since reform and opening up”.
There was slightly more enthusiasm for the remaining theme – “interconnectedness and interdependence of the contemporary world” – but not much.
Dickson Kwok Tat-sang, a teacher and member of Youth Ideas, said that while education authorities had issued some documents and assessment criteria on the revamped subject, educators still needed more support.
“Our society has changed rapidly, so apart from clear guidelines, teachers also need materials, teaching schemes and learning packs to implement the subject effectively,” he said.
First introduced in 2009 as one of four core subjects for senior secondary school students in a major curriculum shake-up, liberal studies aimed to enhance pupils’ social awareness and develop their critical thinking skills.