https://www.scmp.com/rss/126583/feed Kerry Kennedy is professor emeritus and adviser (academic development) at The Education University of Hong Kong. He was formerly director of the Centre for Governance and Citizenship and dean of the Faculty of Education and Human Development. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kerry Kennedy Kerry Kennedy With rapid advances in technological development transforming industries and permeating every facet of our lives, there are mounting calls for schools to embrace artificial intelligence in the curriculum. While the focus on AI can seem overwhelming, the role of schools in this new AI-driven world demands attention. Where there is a focus on AI in schools, it is likely to be about effective and ethical ways to use AI. This is important, especially the focus on ethical issues, but there is perhaps... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3313855/achieve-its-ai-ambition-hong-kong-must-start-investing-schools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3313855/achieve-its-ai-ambition-hong-kong-must-start-investing-schools?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Patriotic education has become a top political priority in Hong Kong in the wake of years of social unrest, yet this emphasis is nothing new. Tung Chee-hwa, the city’s first chief executive, was a strong supporter of integrating Chinese values into young people’s education. Tung’s successor, Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, and his administration developed Hong Kong’s first attempt at national education in the form of a new school subject, moral and national education. This initiative continued to face... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3279175/why-learning-love-china-isnt-any-other-school-subject?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3279175/why-learning-love-china-isnt-any-other-school-subject?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Sep 2024 01:30:09 +0000 Patriotic education has been on the agenda for a while. With the passing of the Patriotic Education Law of the People’s Republic of China by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, it is also now on a broader social and political agenda – it is for all citizens, not just students. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, for example, has indicated that the city will embrace the spirit of this new law. This emphasis on the Hong Kong context needs to be considered from an educational... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240892/patriotic-education-hong-kong-must-be-curated-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240892/patriotic-education-hong-kong-must-be-curated-care?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Nov 2023 01:30:16 +0000 The government’s efforts to attract global talent to Hong Kong are both necessary and important. An ageing population, low birth rate and waves of emigration are coming together to threaten the city’s talent pool. Even so, there are uncertainties over a strategy to import talent. For example, there is stiff competition from countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea, which also are seeking new talent. In addition, it has been reported that about 95 per cent of the approved applications... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221457/how-hong-kong-can-look-within-nurture-talent-it-needs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3221457/how-hong-kong-can-look-within-nurture-talent-it-needs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 May 2023 08:30:20 +0000 As full-day schooling resumes, albeit with daily rapid antigen tests for students, there is an opportunity to create a “new” normal for a post-Covid world. It would be a mistake to assume there can be a return to the “old” normal of examinations, weekly tests, homework, drilling, and the like. Students, some of whom last had full-day classes in 2020, are not the same ones returning to full-day classes now. Some very young pupils have not known anything but face masks, Covid-19 tests, short... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3208593/students-need-mental-health-support-cope-return-new-normal-school-post-covid-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3208593/students-need-mental-health-support-cope-return-new-normal-school-post-covid-era?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Feb 2023 00:15:09 +0000 In a recent editorial, the Post argued that “teachers need clear guidance to deliver on national education”. The article highlighted the need to provide teachers with support and relevant resources. This was a timely intervention. It raised the question of how Hong Kong’s education authority can best prepare schools and teachers to implement a curriculum that was first signalled around 2010, then highly contested in 2012, leading to the shelving of the proposed new subject, moral and national... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3189230/how-will-national-education-be-implemented-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/hong-kong/article/3189230/how-will-national-education-be-implemented-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Aug 2022 01:15:13 +0000 As Hong Kong looks forward to a new administration and an end to the fifth wave of Covid-19, the decline in the number of teachers and students in the city should also signal the need to map out a bold new future for education. Over the past few years, great pains have been taken to include national security education in the school curriculum. This is understandable given the legislative mandate for doing so, but these changes should be part of a larger transformation. International agencies are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3175580/hong-kong-begins-hopeful-new-chapter-overhaul-education-system-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3175580/hong-kong-begins-hopeful-new-chapter-overhaul-education-system-long?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Apr 2022 10:31:51 +0000 It seems that normality in any form will be difficult to achieve in Hong Kong. The city is still experiencing the aftermath of the social and political unrest of 2019 and Covid-19 continues to drive our lives, even with a declining caseload. These two years of disruption have often been dispiriting and at times despairing. At the same time, however, they highlight the need for a resilient education system. Such a system should not only respond to events but lead the way in finding... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148103/hong-kongs-future-leaders-need-education-system-fit-challenging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148103/hong-kongs-future-leaders-need-education-system-fit-challenging?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Sep 2021 22:45:19 +0000 When the Education Bureau unveiled its programme for national security education, it noted that “national security education is a part of, and inseparable from, national education”, and that it aims to “develop in students a sense of belonging to the country, an affection for the Chinese people, a sense of national identity”. Of course, the focus of the programme is the national security law itself, but the broader context presented here is important to note. National education, or education... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126177/how-best-include-national-security-education-hong-kong-schools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3126177/how-best-include-national-security-education-hong-kong-schools?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 22:15:07 +0000 It is clear that the Beijing authorities have Hong Kong schools and teachers in their sight, as the recent case of the deregistered teacher shows. So focused are the chief executive and the Education Bureau on weeding out “bad apples” that issues of process, fairness and professionalism seem to have been forgotten. It does not help that details of the deregistration case only seeped out little by little. One day it seemed the teacher was deregistered because he was promoting Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3105302/did-deregistered-hong-kong-teacher-receive-fair-hearing-he-deserved?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3105302/did-deregistered-hong-kong-teacher-receive-fair-hearing-he-deserved?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:30:08 +0000 Schools are currently being deluged with “advice” on education about national identity and the national security law, and even kindergartens are being urged to implement national identity education. This is on top of the previously developed requirements for secondary schools regarding Basic Law education and the cross-curriculum priority of civic and moral education. For both primary and secondary schools, the emphasis on national security education comes directly from the national security law... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3099702/national-security-education-policy-talk-wont-lead-real-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3099702/national-security-education-policy-talk-wont-lead-real-action?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2020 00:30:15 +0000 There is never-ending speculation about the national security law, officially known as the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The emphasis here is on speculation since the real impact of the law will only be known once a Hong Kong court delivers a verdict. The problem with speculation is that it is largely uninformed, irrespective of whether it is being promoted by the media, the “yellow” camp, the “blue” camp... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3093058/under-national-security-law-hong-kong-can-be-pro-democracy-without?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3093058/under-national-security-law-hong-kong-can-be-pro-democracy-without?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jul 2020 01:00:17 +0000 Now, in Hong Kong, not only must you have the “right” answer to questions, you must also learn to ask the “right” questions. If you do not, then it seems the government can intervene and strike out your question. This is a possible outcome of the current controversy concerning the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) history exam in which students were asked about Japan’s contribution to Chinese development in the first half of the 20th century. The question was undoubtedly a complex one: “Japan... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085271/furore-over-dse-exam-question-misses-point-teaching-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3085271/furore-over-dse-exam-question-misses-point-teaching-students?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2020 01:00:08 +0000 In the past few weeks, Hong Kong has witnessed the triumph of democratic institutions. The High Court declared the anti-mask legislation unconstitutional. The district council elections witnessed the overwhelming victory of pro-democracy candidates. In the United States, both the legislative and executive branches of government endorsed a law designed to support Hong Kong’s freedoms. Democratic institutions work, and this is an important lesson in the current climate. Some may argue that the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3040325/hong-kong-voted-democracy-now-protesters-and-victorious-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3040325/hong-kong-voted-democracy-now-protesters-and-victorious-political?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2019 01:30:05 +0000 At the beginning of the current protest movement, I wrote that there were two protest cultures in Hong Kong – one peaceful and one violent. At the time, I questioned which one would win. Among some, it is politically incorrect to talk about violence as part of what are regularly described as “Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests”. Yet, how else to describe the trashing of the Legislative Council, the regular attacks on police stations, petrol bombs, the harassment of passengers at the airport (not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024408/can-hong-kong-crisis-turn-away-violence-and-learn-lesson-democratic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3024408/can-hong-kong-crisis-turn-away-violence-and-learn-lesson-democratic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Aug 2019 22:00:11 +0000 The peaceful efforts of hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers dissipate quickly, with the eruptions of violence that now inevitably follow. What’s more, it is no longer a question of whether protesters or police are using violence. The attacks in Yuen Long on Sunday make clear that violence as a tactic can be used by anyone. When violence is the norm, when it is legitimated as a political tactic, it cannot be controlled. The protesters have tried to pin the violence on the police alone, to the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3019737/repression-begets-violence-and-more-violence-hong-kong-must-give?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3019737/repression-begets-violence-and-more-violence-hong-kong-must-give?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2019 08:05:33 +0000 As Hong Kong reels from multiple protests over the extradition bill and as politicians seek to save face over an ill-considered legislative agenda, how do ordinary citizens understand the events of the past weeks? One thing is clear: protest, a well-known tool in Hong Kong’s civic culture, has two faces. One is the peaceful protest, involving millions of people on successive weekends moving en masse from Victoria Park to the government offices in Tamar. They sang, they shouted, and they were... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3014955/protest-not-just-about-extradition-when-hong-kong-youth-feel-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3014955/protest-not-just-about-extradition-when-hong-kong-youth-feel-they?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jun 2019 10:00:17 +0000 For all the attention upcoming national anthem legislation is getting, the issue is really nothing new for Hong Kong schools. The Music Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 to Secondary 3), first issued in 2003, makes ample reference to the teaching of the national anthem, both in the primary and secondary years. Amid the current hype around the new law, it is important to be aware of how educators have been dealing with the issue over the years and how they will continue to deal with it once the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2184318/national-anthem-law-about-respect-and-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2184318/national-anthem-law-about-respect-and-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Jan 2019 23:00:00 +0000 As the chief executive’s policy address approaches, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has the opportunity to create a new and vibrant education system. The world around us continues to change at a rapid pace. Yet, across all sectors of education in Hong Kong, there is little creativity or acknowledgement that change is needed. The government’s review of the school curriculum drags on with little opportunity for public debate or discussion. The vocational education sector continues to be weighed down by... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2163855/if-education-reform-priority-singapore-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2163855/if-education-reform-priority-singapore-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Sep 2018 23:30:15 +0000 The effects of the fourth industrial revolution are all around us – robots, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, the internet of things, driverless cars, drones, etc. These and more are already changing the way people live and work. The digital revolution is behind us and we now see how technologies are fused to create new lifestyle technologies, business processes, approaches to logistics management and labour market realities that rely less on low-level skills and more on high-end skills,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2138926/technology-will-change-society-and-we-need-change-our?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2138926/technology-will-change-society-and-we-need-change-our?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Mar 2018 09:02:46 +0000 Recently, there has been much talk of laws concerning the national anthem, the teaching of Chinese history, the jailing of activists (followed by abuse heaped on judges for doing so) and the rightness or otherwise of co-location arrangements for immigration controls for the new high-speed train connection. In these contexts, people inevitably take sides in what are complex political disputes, out of which there must inevitably be winners and losers. This is not the way to create a civil society,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127633/hong-kong-schools-must-teach-respect-different-views-heal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127633/hong-kong-schools-must-teach-respect-different-views-heal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jan 2018 09:33:47 +0000 Many Hong Kong students benefit from 12 years of education, then those who are lucky enough get to go to publicly funded universities. The assumption for those lucky ones is that they have learned a lot in their 12 years and will continue to do so in university. Yet recent events at several local institutions suggest that, for some young people, their learning has been illusory – perhaps something they can perform well at in an examination room but not something that equips them to be tolerant... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110689/hong-kongs-young-democrats-need-some-lessons-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2110689/hong-kongs-young-democrats-need-some-lessons-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Sep 2017 09:21:44 +0000 Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor delivered on her election promise to support the education sector by providing self-financed undergraduate students with a HK$30,000 subsidy. Even the usually recalcitrant Legislative Council begrudgingly supported the initiative so that funds could flow in this financial year. It was a quick and early victory for Hong Kong’s new leader and showed her seriousness both in supporting education and keeping promises. But is it money well spent, both for the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2106406/students-benefiting-degree-subsidy-must-remember-their-debt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2106406/students-benefiting-degree-subsidy-must-remember-their-debt?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Aug 2017 02:04:09 +0000 Parents who think all their problems will be solved if the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) is abolished will be sadly disappointed. Hong Kong’s education system, like many other systems in the Asia-Pacific region, is based on widespread testing from the earliest years through to the Diploma in Secondary Education (DSE). Hardly a week goes by for students in Hong Kong schools where they do not face a barrage of tests – it is part of the culture of schooling. The TSA is currently seen by... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2089501/make-hong-kongs-tsa-test-real-tool-learning-rather-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2089501/make-hong-kongs-tsa-test-real-tool-learning-rather-one?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Apr 2017 02:01:21 +0000 Chief executive-elect Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has promised Hong Kong more funding for education. However, the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has made it that clear funding is not always the answer to an education system’s woes. Abandoning the Territory-wide System Assessment or inserting Chinese history into the core curriculum are also not the answer: they represent tinkering and pandering to populist prescriptions. The issue of teacher quality must take... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2083757/carrie-lam-must-have-clear-vision-hong-kong-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2083757/carrie-lam-must-have-clear-vision-hong-kong-education?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Apr 2017 03:01:38 +0000 There’s a new refrain in the air: “If only young people knew more about Chinese history we would not have such rambunctious youth in Hong Kong”. One of the chief executive hopefuls has promised to make it a core subject for all students. In reality, it is not such a new ­refrain. The melody has been playing since July 1, 1997, accompanied by both calls and action to build a strong national identity for China’s new citizens. The current refrain has led to cries of “brainwashing” from the opposing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2065377/chinese-history-can-open-eyes-hong-kong-students-just-dont?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2065377/chinese-history-can-open-eyes-hong-kong-students-just-dont?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jan 2017 02:01:56 +0000 The more prohibition there is of “independence” talk in Hong Kong, the more widely the idea is likely to spread and the more dangerous it becomes. The “cultural revolution” attitude to ridding the city of talk about localism and self-determination has great potential to backfire and result in even further division between citizens. A more rational attitude is needed to encourage the community not to be afraid of new ideas, to enter into respectful but nevertheless spirited debate and to resolve... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2005992/why-hong-kong-schools-provide-ideal-platform-discussion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2005992/why-hong-kong-schools-provide-ideal-platform-discussion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Aug 2016 05:37:46 +0000 The civil unrest in Mong Kok shocked Hong Kong society and attracted much foreign attention. Senior government officials and pro-government legislators denounced the incident. Indeed, the condemnation of violence has been almost unanimous. Students who have a poor relationship with their teachers and see the classroom environment as less open are more prepared to join illegal protests This is understandable. Yet, this hardly helps the community understand what happened. To do so, we could... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1916057/discontent-runs-deep-hong-kong-faces-real-risk-losing-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1916057/discontent-runs-deep-hong-kong-faces-real-risk-losing-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Feb 2016 05:49:45 +0000 Arthur Li Kwok-cheung’s appointment as chairman of the University of Hong Kong’s council once again throws the spotlight on university governance. The appointment has predictably raised both opposition and support, reflecting the city’s divided political landscape. Yet “university governance” is an abstract concept not usually part of everyday conversation and highly politicised in the current context. What does it mean to have a university “governed” by a council and what is the role of any... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1897914/head-hku-governing-council-arthur-li-should-oversee-afar-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1897914/head-hku-governing-council-arthur-li-should-oversee-afar-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Jan 2016 06:05:50 +0000 The great benefit of civil society is that it offers a voice that can often counter the excesses by governments. Yet, when civil society itself becomes uncivil, its potential to impact on those excesses is reduced and an important tool is lost to maintain a just and fair society. Hong Kong has reached this point. The incivility shown by many lawmakers towards institutions such as the Legislative Council is a good example of how the potential of civil society is being wasted. It displays a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877374/incivility-reigns-hong-kongs-civil-society?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1877374/incivility-reigns-hong-kongs-civil-society?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Nov 2015 05:20:57 +0000 Hong Kong's quiet did not last long. The tents are gone from Admiralty, and the government's proposal for electoral reform was defeated, but now the focus is on universities and perceived government influence in their management. The issue first surfaced when the appointment of Professor Leonard Cheng Kwok-hon as Lingnan's president was criticised because he had been a member of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's election committee. Students felt they had not been included in the appointment... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1844810/universities-are-new-battleground-democracy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1844810/universities-are-new-battleground-democracy-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2015 08:00:45 +0000 With the 25th anniversary of the declaration of the Basic Law, many comments have been directed at schools and policymakers about the importance of teaching about the Basic Law. The Education Bureau has recently released a teaching kit for teachers. This concern partly reflects current debates in Hong Kong about political reform and the central role played by the Basic Law in that process. Yet there is also international concern about law-related education and its importance in the civic... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1786562/understanding-basic-law-holds-valuable-lessons-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1786562/understanding-basic-law-holds-valuable-lessons-students?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2015 07:27:38 +0000 As the government seeks to use the provisions of the Public Order Ordinance to control protests in Hong Kong more effectively, some thought needs to be given to the nature of protest activity, what needs to be stamped out and what needs to be treated with respect. Not all protests can be regarded in the same way. One of the most enduring features of Hong Kong's democratic development has been the growth of a constructive protest culture. Every Sunday, protest groups mobilise to highlight an... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1758736/hong-kong-should-crack-down-only-hate-groups-and-leave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1758736/hong-kong-should-crack-down-only-hate-groups-and-leave?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2015 08:15:34 +0000 With the end of Occupy Central, it was hoped that the city would return to normal. Yet it is not normal. The debate that caused the movement has continued and its resolution is no closer now than it was on August 31, when the central government issued its decision on Hong Kong electoral reform. Beijing's resolve is as strong as ever, the community remains divided and politicians of all complexions seem incapable of addressing Hong Kong's political future. Interests are deeply entrenched and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1679647/time-pan-democrats-stop-mistaking-wishful-thinking-idealism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1679647/time-pan-democrats-stop-mistaking-wishful-thinking-idealism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2015 09:58:29 +0000 Now, it seems, Occupy Central is to be blamed on liberal studies. There has been too much teaching about politics and this is what has brought students onto the streets. At least this is the implication of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's advice to the Education Bureau that the politics component of liberal studies should be reduced. Instead, there should be a greater focus on the Basic Law rather than the rule of law and socio-political participation. In... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1627648/teach-basic-law-liberal-studies-true-spirit-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1627648/teach-basic-law-liberal-studies-true-spirit-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Oct 2014 09:45:15 +0000 Occupy Central as a formal movement was buried before it had a chance to start. Instead we have Occupy Hong Kong. People are angry - with the police who used pepper spray and tear gas against unarmed student protesters, with the government that seems incapable of reading public feeling and responding to it, and with the central authorities in Beijing who constantly apply a "one country" approach to a "two systems" city. Citizens can only take so much, and now they have had enough. At the very... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1608943/face-hong-kongs-discontent-waiting-it-out-beijings-best?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1608943/face-hong-kongs-discontent-waiting-it-out-beijings-best?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2014 19:49:31 +0000 The Education Bureau, Professional Teachers' Union and principals have been at odds about responses to the falling secondary school population in Hong Kong. Numbers are expected to decline by almost 11,000 by 2016, after which enrolments are set to pick up. In response, officials would like to cut the number of classes in each school and reduce the number of teachers through voluntary redundancies. The principals and teachers' union want to see a reduction in existing class size in each... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1466367/smaller-classes-some-will-create-more-equal-education-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1466367/smaller-classes-some-will-create-more-equal-education-system?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Apr 2014 18:40:24 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's second policy address nailed his government's socially progressive credentials to the mast. Apart from middle class cries of "me too", and the usual opposition from those who will never give any credit to this government, support for the city's poor has been well received. One area in particular is educational support for Hong Kong's ethnic minorities. Long overdue, a new school curriculum could prepare these students for a better life, with greater potential to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1415607/respect-and-tolerance-all-must-be-enshrined-hong-kong-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1415607/respect-and-tolerance-all-must-be-enshrined-hong-kong-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jan 2014 03:45:30 +0000 Hong Kong prides itself as a fair and tolerant society. It is a signatory to a number of international covenants that seek to guarantee international standards of social justice and equity. Yet the issues of ethnic minorities are becoming a regular aspect of concern, whether it is alleged racial profiling by police, inequitable educational provision for students or poverty and substandard housing for many ethnic minority families. Of all these, the issue of educational provision is the easiest... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1367199/five-easy-steps-supporting-our-ethnic-minority-students?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1367199/five-easy-steps-supporting-our-ethnic-minority-students?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Nov 2013 10:45:45 +0000 The case of Alpais Lam Wai-sze, the teacher who swore at police during an altercation concerning Falun Gong protesters, raises important issues for the Hong Kong community. Teachers are held in high regard here so any public action that appears to bring them into disrepute will be closely monitored. Yet Hong Kong's unstable political conditions cannot be disregarded. At any other time, the issue may not have received such attention. In the current circumstances, however, where any middle ground... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1307813/attacks-teacher-alpais-lam-highlight-dirty-politics-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1307813/attacks-teacher-alpais-lam-highlight-dirty-politics-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Threats of class boycotts, calls for rejecting nominated candidates, an appeal for judicial review and candidates not showing up for consultation: all of these have characterised recent presidents' appointments at Hong Kong's higher education institutions, including Lingnan University, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Open University and Tung Wah College. Such appointments are not in themselves part of the daily discussion of democracy and universal suffrage in Hong Kong - yet these are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1294778/high-degree-discontent-over-university-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1294778/high-degree-discontent-over-university-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 We need to be grateful for Hong Kong's independent judiciary. The Court of Final Appeal showed recently that it is prepared to act on minority rights where the government and even the Legislative Council have refused to do so. The decision to allow a transgendered person to marry her partner of choice was based on rights guaranteed in the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights. This is a victory not only for human rights but also for judicial decision-making. The court acted on principle... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1247511/next-legco-must-uphold-rights-sexual-minorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1247511/next-legco-must-uphold-rights-sexual-minorities?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The recent budget contained a provision of HK$480 million a year to send 20 bright Hong Kong students overseas to study early childhood education or English. On the surface, this may seem like an initiative that will make teaching an attractive option for the smartest of Hong Kong's secondary students but is this really the message that will be sent to the community? Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim confirmed the scholarships were for those students "with an eye on a teaching career".... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1189937/overseas-teaching-scholarship-scheme-not-such-bright-idea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1189937/overseas-teaching-scholarship-scheme-not-such-bright-idea?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Whether it is stories of refugee children unable to attend school, families unable to pay rent, complaints about the slow processing of asylum-seeker status or the seemingly inadequate government support provided, Hong Kong's refugees often find their way into the media. Refugees are now a permanent feature of our multicultural landscape. The scale of the refugee issue in Hong Kong is small by international standards, although the actual number of refugees is disputed. The website of the United... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1118420/fairer-refugee-processing-would-benefit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1118420/fairer-refugee-processing-would-benefit-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Human rights legislation is an all-or-nothing business. Its purpose is to protect all of society's vulnerable groups - women, people with disabilities, racial minorities, sexual minorities and more. While Hong Kong has made progress on the first three of these, there has been a marked reluctance to place the issue of sexual minorities on the agenda. Yet the recent election to the Legislative Council of Raymond Chan Chi-chuen, an openly gay politician, has changed the momentum. Chan has an agenda... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1087659/time-begin-debate-gay-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1087659/time-begin-debate-gay-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The debate on national education continues to polarise the community. Even though Anna Wu Hung-yuk's implementation committee has provided a way out for the government by declaring the curriculum guide for moral and national education unnecessary, the chief executive hesitates to take the final step and withdraw it. Yet once the Legislative Council resumes, national education will again become the focus of public attention. Newly elected legislator Ip Kin-yuen is already threatening to move a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1051691/patriotism-hong-kong-style?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1051691/patriotism-hong-kong-style?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 We are all in the same community," asserted the chief executive's election manifesto, where he promised "to review existing policies to reduce estrangement and help ethnic minorities, especially the younger generation, integrate into the local community". Does this mean Hong Kong is likely to see the endorsement of multiculturalism as a driving force to recognise and value the diversity in society? It is important that Leung Chun-ying has at least recognised that, despite the fact that 94per... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1022612/wheres-hong-kongs-diversity-pledge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1022612/wheres-hong-kongs-diversity-pledge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Hong Kong was ranked 80 out of 167 in The Economist's democracy index for 2011 and classified as a 'hybrid regime'. It is neither one thing nor the other - not yet a democracy, but with some democratic trappings. Herein lies the problem. One of those 'trappings' is undoubtedly the rule of law - an independent judiciary separate from the executive and legislative branches of government. It is perhaps the most important contribution from the British colonial period. The courts cannot be dictated... https://www.scmp.com/article/1005713/broken-system-governance-ensures-conflict-reigns-supreme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1005713/broken-system-governance-ensures-conflict-reigns-supreme?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000