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The consultation forthe Review of Academic System: Aims of Education will be closed tomorrow. A recentterritory-wide survey conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups found,however, that young students did not warmly receive the Review. Seven outof ten respondents had no idea that the consultation paper had been released for publicconsultation. The lower the educational attainment, the more uninformed the respondent.
The survey showed that young studentsgenerally admitted that today's Hong Kong's educational system was faced with problems.The five most commonly mentioned were: undue emphasis on examination results, thespoon-feeding methods of teaching, poor language proficiency, impractical curriculum, anda negligence in developing students' personal attributes. The findings clearly show thatthe undue emphasis on examination results had become the biggest problem of Hong Kong'seducational system.
With regard to the aim of studying, morethan 50 per cent of respondents looked for a job or a better life in future. Another 35per cent sought knowledge. Only a few young students looked towards an all-roundeducation, the development of moral integrity and the prosperity and well-being ofindividuals and nation, as their aim of study. The findings suggest that young studentsconsidered studying mainly as an individual matter, with not much sense of commitment incontributing to the future of nation or society.
The survey asked respondents to state theproblems that they faced in the learning process. With regard to the assessment system,the main problem stemmed from the fact that it placed more emphasis on memorization,rather than on creativity and independent thought.
The largest number of respondents saidthat they found the curriculum useless and impractical to their daily lives. With regardto the teachers' performance in class, the largest number of respondents believed teachersshould improve their skills in teaching. With regard to the homework assignment, mostrespondents complained that there was too much homework. In relation to learninglanguages, most respondents stated that they had difficulties in listening.
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groupsconducted this telephone survey from 8 to 12 and 19 February 1999. A total of 509secondary school students were successfully interviewed. The survey found thatMathematics, English and History were subjects that young students most disliked. A boringand monotonous curriculum, were the main reasons that respondents lost interest inparticular subjects. Homework, projects and revisions were the main activities that mostoccupied respondents' time after school.
Although respondents generally admittedthat today's Hong Kong's educational system was full of problems, they were quiteoptimistic in reviewing their own experiences. Two out of five respondents said that theyhad not confronted problems in sitting for examinations. Around fifty per cent ofrespondents found that there was nothing wrong about what they were learning in class orin learning languages. Another 28 per cent were of the view that there was nothing wrongwith teachers' performances.
Jacky Pang, the Senior Research Officer ofthe Federation, said that society was now looking for an educational system that providedstudents with an all-round education, as well as fostering in them the desire to strivehard for the prosperity and well-being of individuals and the nation. However, the surveyshowed that young students did not share these goals enthusiastically.
He believed that it was usual for one tostudy hard, paving the way for better prospects. However, this was mainly for personalgain, with not much sense of commitment in contributing to the future of nation orsociety.
Pang said that although some youngstudents found nothing wrong with their learning environment, it did not necessarily meanthat they were unaware of the general and larger problems of Hong Kong's educationalsystem. As youth are the main target of education, their views and opinions of Hong Kong'seducation system deserve our immediate attention.
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Youth Opinion Polls No. 63
