What would you do if you were Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung for a day?
- Would you focus more on online learning? Or perhaps scrap the Territory-wide System Assessment?
- Each Week, our readers will vote on their favourite answer and the contestant with the least votes is eliminated
Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung addresses the press at the Legislative Council Complex, Tamar.Every week, we ask our Brain Game contestants one interesting, thought-provoking or just plain quirky question. Their answers will be published anonymously in Young Post. Then readers vote for their favourite answer. We will eliminate the contestant with the least votes every week until we have a winner.
Votes close at midnight on Sunday.
Contestant 1
Firstly, I would scrap the TSA (Territory-wide System Assessment). It is an extra burden on students because there are already assessments at school. Secondly, I would try to bridge the gap between international and local schools in terms of language learning to make local students more confident. Thirdly, I would provide teaching aids, such as online tools, electronic devices and all the equipment needed for online learning to schools that cannot afford them.
Contestant 2
I would delay the opening of schools and continue online learning this academic year. Online learning is making progress and there are only a few weeks left before the academic year ends. This would reduce parents’ and students’ stress amid the health crisis. Although there have been very few local Covid-19 infections over the past few weeks – most of the cases were imported – I would wait until there had been no infections for at least 28 days in a row to start school. This would lower the risk of students and teachers being infected by coronavirus carriers who do not show any symptoms.
Contestant 3
I would probably review some of the policies that most schools follow. I would change the content of the courses and the way they are taught to make them more interactive and interesting for students. I would also create a website where students could share their opinions and thoughts. These changes would help to improve the city’s education system.
Contestant 4
Imagine a day when local and international schools could exchange ideas on their teaching methods to find better ways for students to learn. If I were Kevin Yeung for a day, I would change the school syllabus to make it creative and unique. Schools could ask students to do integrated projects and activities by combining different subjects. For example, students could use maths concepts they have learned and present them in Chinese and English through art.
Contestant 5
I would try to understand the mind of a real student. They might make me realise that currently, there are only three steps in preparing for exams: memorise the textbooks, go through past papers, and find the right key words by going through the marking scheme. Instead of developing a passion for a subject, students spend years memorising facts. Spoon-feeding and rote learning are not effective methods. Students would become robots if the education system remains unchanged.
*Young Post reserves the right to make a final decision on the winner