1.16
A further factor is that while it is considered quite respectable to send children to kindergarten, attendance at child care centres may be thought to imply the inability of the family to provide adequate care, and this again tends to make kindergartens more popular than child care centres.
Primary schools
1.17
Primary education was for some years the only compulsory education provided in Hong Kong. Because pre-primary education is not compulsory, a child entering primary school may have very little if any educational knowledge or skills apart from the ability to communicate orally and a certain degree of manual and physical dexterity.
1.18
Primary education aims to develop competence in communicative and numerical skills, help a child to develop necessary social habits and skills, develop a moral sense, teach him something about the world he lives in and generally stimulate his interest and curiosity so that the learning process does not cease when he is not in school.
1.19
Unfortunately primary education is also very strongly influenced by the highly competitive spirit pervading the whole educational scene. As already indicated the primary school is usually regarded as the second step to a university education and schools are valued by the success they achieve in placing their pupils in popular secondary schools, the next step on the ladder.
1.20
This view has inevitably helped to make many primary schools very formal institutions where the emphasis is on the acquisition of textbook knowledge. This state of affairs is self-perpetuating since it demands little change in educational techniques. A teacher can even teach children in the same way he was taught himself and so feel secure and unchallenged.
1.21
One of the results of this general situation is the lack of thought given to the social, moral and emotional developments of the pupil. Even though aspects of moral and social education are included in the primary curriculum, teachers often make the child learn statements by heart rather than help him understand the importance of the underlying principles.
1.22
The primary curriculum is discussed in detail in Chapter 4. However, it may be said that except in the field of English teaching, the content of the curriculum itself is reasonably satisfactory although practical subjects still need more emphasis. It is the approach to teaching and learning that really needs attention.
1.23
One encouraging relatively recent development is the introduction of the activity approach, where instead of the highly academic textbook orientated methods described, children are given carefully pre-programmed activities designed to teach specific knowledge and skills. This is discussed in detail in Chapter 4.
1.24
The way the curriculum is presented is strongly influenced by the rather large classes prevalent in some schools. There is no recommended class size although the Education Regulations (1971) stipulate a maximum of 45. However, the location and popularity of schools has led to a wide variation
4