141
However, if most English-speaking members of the Chinese community are still not very interested in joining our Society, it may not be attributable solely to their perceptions of us. When in 1986-87 our minds were focusing on this topic, none of us thought to consider a factor with a direct bearing on the subject. I was reminded of it only the other day when one of my younger Chinese friends sent me a copy of his recent book on Hong Kong history. The covering letter mentioned this other, and as I now see it, very significant fact.
12.
The crucial driving force for me to attempt the book is that I want it to encourage the younger generation to know something about Hong Kong's past, which is almost totally unknown to them (myself among them not long ago) chiefly due to our education emphasis supplied.
11.
Why should this have been so? For political reasons and public security considerations, there has been understandable caution in teaching modern Chinese history in the schools. There had been a similar reluctance to teach Hong Kong History, other than through civics teaching which was never an examination subject. "My friend Tim Ko's endeavour was fully justified. Perhaps partly by intent, Hong Kong's history had been neglected in the schools. It was only in 1990, after a working party had considered the introduction of Local History into the school curriculum at the junior secondary level, that a pilot scheme was begun. In the 1994 public examinations, Hong Kong History was included among the set papers for the first time, but this is still only on an optional basis." The universities have also been slow to develop Hong Kong historical studies.
6.
Administration and Venues for Lectures and Council Meetings.
These are fairly pedestrian subjects, but ones that will be of interest to our future historian. I propose to say little more here than to mention that lists of Councillors and Office Bearers appear in the yearly Journals, and that our succession of trusty Assistant Secretaries, who labour behind the scenes and provide indispensable support for the smooth running of the Society, usually feature in the annual President's reports, also printed in the Journal. Our administrative problems and current worries over the years get an airing there and in the annual reports of the other principal office-bearers, which, like the Presidents', appear regularly in the Journal.
141
However, if most English-speaking members of the Chinese community are still not very interested in joining our Society, it may not be attributable solely to their perceptions of us. When in 1986-87 our minds were focusing on this topic, none of us thought to consider a factor with a direct bearing on the subject. I was reminded of it only the other day when one of my younger Chinese friends sent me a copy of his recent book on Hong Kong history. The covering letter mentioned this other, and as I now see it, very significant fact
12.
The cluct diving force for me to attempt the book is that I want it to encourage the younger generation to know something about Hong Kong's past, which is almost totally unknown to them (myself among them not long ago) chiefly due to om education femphasis supplied.
11
Why should this have been so? For political reasons and public security considerations, there has been understandable caution in teaching modern Chinese history in the schools. There had been a similar reluctance to teach Hong Kong History, other than through civics teaching which was never an examination subject. "My friend Tim Ko's en du coem was fully justified Perhaps partly by intent, Hong Kong's history had been neglected in the schools. It was only in 1990, after a working party had considered the introduction of Local History into the school curriculum at the junior secondary level, that a pilot scheme was begun. In the 1994 public examinations, Hong Kong History was included among the set papers for the first time, but this is still only on an optional basis." The universities have also been slow to develop Hong Kong historical studies, 6
Administration and Venues for Lectures and Council Meetings
These are fairly pedestrian subjects, but ones that will be of interest to our future historian. I propose to say little more here than to mention that lists of Councillors and Office Bearers appear in the yearly Journals, and that our succession of trusty Assistant Secretares, who labour behind the scenes and provide indispensable support for the smooth running of the Society, usually feature in the annual President's annual reports, also printed in the Journal Our administrative problems and current worries over the years get an airing there and in the annual reports of the other principal office-bearers, which, like the Presidents', appear regularly in the Journal
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