TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 383

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features and its aims can be more clearly seen as a whole. This gives

rise to fundamental questions about educational development beyond

existing approved or proposed policies.

8.11

No attempt will be made in the following paragraphs to predict

future trends in education policy. In keeping with the spirit of the

overall review of the education system (which, to borrow the language of

curriculum development, is seen as a formative rather than a summative

evaluation of the system) the rest of this chapter is devoted to the

exploration of various themes which might usefully be considered in any

development of education beyond the present stage. These themes are

presented in the form of questions the answers to which are largely a

matter of judgment. As such they represent the first stage in a new

phase of the planning process earlier described general areas to be

freely explored as a preliminary step towards the consideration of more

specific aims for future policy. The posing of the question is in no

sense an earnest of future intentions.

G

The purpose is to stimulate

general discussion in which the views of the Panel of Visitors undertaking

the overall review, and those of the other overseas participants, will

be valuable in illuminating the underlying issues. Their contribution to

the discussion will be particularly helpful in so far as it represents an

international perspective based on extensive experience of recent

educational developments in other parts of the world.

8.12

It would be inappropriate to ask the Panel of Visitors to give

specific answers to the questions posed, because this would pre-empt

the normal processes by which policy is formulated, because the Visitors

have neither the time nor the opportunity to follow any recommendations

through and, most important of all, because solutions to local problems

have to be worked out in terms of local needs and expectations.

experience can illuminate issues but it can seldom offer models to be

Overseas