EDUCATION AT THE CROSSROADS
7
'There could, of course, be a whole book written on each one of the topics which form chapters of this report... We have been selective about the key issues those
- which have most to do with the linkages across the sectors and which affect students in their progression from kindergarten onwards.
'We try to be practical in our commentary. The only proposals that have an even chance of becoming real solutions are those which the people of Hong Kong adopt for themselves, albeit prompted and assured by sympathetic visitors like our- selves. We prefer to point to desirable directions rather than to prescribe treatment for immediate ills.'
In pursuing this approach to its brief, the panel pointed out that the expansion of education in Hong Kong had been very rapid in terms both of the size of the system and the range of services it provided; nevertheless there was still very considerable room for further expansion, coupled with improvement in quality in most sectors. The panel recognised the vast achievement of the last 30 years in welding a disparate and ad hoc collection of schools (reduced to virtually nothing during World War II) into the large and complex system that operates today. However, in creating a climate for change this rapid development had also spawned a host of problems which had been exacerbated by sharpening public awareness. The call for their solution was making the search urgent.
The panel identified five critical areas bearing on the immediate future development of education in Hong Kong: all warranted urgent policy attention as a basis for a coherent plan of action and for securing the resources necessary for their implementation. In the panel's view, all five areas were of major importance and should be handled concurrently:
'One priority is the establishment of a comprehensive language policy for the education system which does not neglect the current emphasis being placed on English in the schools. Lack of language confidence and competence is one of the main impediments to learning throughout the population. We favour a shift towards the universal use of the mother tongue in the formative years accompanied by the formal teaching of English as a first foreign language; this would lead progressively to genuine bilingualism in the senior secondary years.
'A second priority is related to teacher improvement, given that the effectiveness of any education system is largely determined by the capacity and commitment of the teaching service. A critical issue is the language competency of teachers in Hong Kong schools, which largely falls short of the bilingual proficiency needed for effective teaching.
'A third priority concerns the efforts being made to attenuate selection and allocation as it operates throughout the school system. Examinations dominate the Hong Kong education system, to its detriment. There is a need to relieve the strain of the present examination system on both teachers and students; there is also the need to improve the curriculum by making it more relevant to the developmental needs of students.
'A fourth priority is related to the organisation of post-school education and access to it. Tremendous social pressures from students, parents and industry reveal a need for greater diversification of the educational opportunities available beyond Form VII, so that pressure on tertiary institutions can be relieved and individuals encouraged to choose from more varied provisions related more closely to their interests, to the requirements of the labour market, and to the community generally.
'A fifth priority is the need to build up a standing capability to conduct research, to analyse and formulate policy options and to plan developments. This impinges on the