Advertisement
Education in Hong Kong
OpinionLetters

LettersOffer Hong Kong youth a mentor’s guidance, not more lesson plans

Readers discuss tapping a great resource in this city – its people, and how the science of longevity is bigger than biohacking

3-MIN READ3-MIN
Listen
Dozens of students and their mentors took part in a Cathay Pacific community flight programme on May 21, 2023. Mentoring could begin simply, by matching adults with students or young employees and giving them a quiet place to talk. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Letters
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words.
With this year’s Diploma of Secondary Education exam results day now behind us, I have been reflecting on education in Hong Kong. I have observed that when a child is struggling or a parent is worried about their future, the usual response is to arrange more tutoring.

That response is understandable. Education has helped generations of Hong Kong families improve their circumstances and academic discipline remains one of the city’s strengths. However, lessons and examinations cannot prepare young people for every difficult decision.

They also need adults who are willing to sit down with them, listen carefully and speak honestly about work, failure and the choices they may face.

Over the years, through my work with students, I have met young people whose grades opened an important door, yet who still felt lost when they moved overseas, chose a career or faced their first serious setback. In those moments, what they often needed was not another class, but a conversation with someone who had been there before.

This led me to believe that Hong Kong underuses one of its greatest resources: the experience of its own people.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x