|  Contact Us  |  Newsletter  |  Annual & Transparency Report. And regarding the quality of the education system, Hong Kong is onl Together these serve roughly 7.4 million people. Despite the fact that Hong Kong has a high secondary school enrollment rate (99.3 percent), its enrollment rate for tertiary education only ranked 30th. Hong Kong vs. China Controversies . But when they are compelled to master a particular musical instrument or sport skill just so that they can present themselves as high-achieving candidates in school admission interviews, this adds a further burden to children who need to set aside more time to practice at the expense of play and rest. This is fuelled by a prevailing ideology among the Hong Kong society that nothing is achieved without attending university. She graduated with a degree in English Communications from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Other major problems of the current education system include low enrolment rates in local universities as well as social and psychological problems among students due to high stress. I remember that I once praised a student for her skilful piano playing and mindlessly asked, “Do you enjoy this hobby?” She frowningly corrected me and said, ‘It’s not a hobby.” Her response still hits me today. This includes emphasis on moral development, civic service and physical fitness. Apply to Study. The total government expenditure on education in the 2020- 21 estimates is $112.3 billion, making up 15.4 per cent of total government expenditure. Most importantly, parents should let their children decide, of their own free will, the number of after-school classes to take, if any at all. Private classes, or tutorial lessons, are also known as shadow education. The teachers there accompany the same group of students for a long time owing to the 9-year compulsory educational system. Apply to Study. Young Accountants Association of HK March 18, 2016 18:57. Hong Kong was claimed by Great Britain in three steps: Hong Kong island was handed over to Britain by China "in perpetuity" in 1842 after the Opium War, the peninsula of Kowloon was ceded in 1860, and the New Territories were leased to the United Kingdom for ninety-nine years in 1898. Although Hong Kong’s education system is considered among the world’s best, there are negative repercussions and the system has been blamed for giving students stress or a sense of hopelessness and students are often faced with mental health issues. Founded in 2015, Hong Kong Free Press is a non-profit, English-language newspaper – run by journalists and completely independent. More than 20% of Hong Kong´s government spending goes toward education. The sharp contrast in system and culture between Hong Kong and the mainland has caused a fair amount of tension in the years since the handover in 1997. Getting high scores is now of the essence for students not just to win the hearts of their parents but also against the system which, however, only rewards those who obey restrictive assessment guidelines, and punishes those who do not. The system of education in Hong Kong makes it quite difficult for local students in Hong Kong to connect with Chinese culture and mainland China. Money . Similar to the British system, education in Hong Kong consists of a 9-year compulsory education for students aged six to 15. Admission. The Hong Kong school system is a very competitive system that puts high pressure on students to do well in their exams. Participation: Hong Kong Education System Problem By Chan Hon Leung James The PSLEconstitutes the first major hurdle of the doe-eyed student. Once he told me, “No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to be doing enough.”. Here are 8 things to know about the healthcare system in Hong Kong. There is a worry that the mechanical reciting and negative acceptance of learning materials will restrain potential creativity and imagination among students. There are advantages of getting an education in Hong Kong: one is that the use of English is more popularized in Hong Kong, as compared to mainland China. HKFP is only answerable only to readers, not shareholders, media tycoons or corporate umbrella groups. Disappointing education reformists are deserving of criticism, but parents own the ultimate responsibility for their child’s well-being and happiness. Kindergarten education in Hong Kong is for children from 3 to 6 years old. Learn more about Hong Kong's economy in the Index of Economic Freedom. Here are 8 things to know about the healthcare system in Hong Kong. The exchange programs that have been included in the education in Hong Kong encourage closing the culture gap between students of these regions. Reasonable solutions and measures depend not only on efforts by the government, schools and society, but also relies on the interactions between teachers, students and their families. Rather than enrolling their children in more tutorial and interest classes, it is time they reflect on what truly motivates their child to learn and makes them happy. Japan/Singapore/Hong Kong: All three systems have a technology-based education structure. All of the clinics, doctors, and medical staff of Hong Kong are organized in regional clusters, so that every district can provide specialist care to its residents. The education system in Hong Kong is publicly funded. Sbdy + is/are/was/were + beset with + sbdy / sthg 常常常常常 Example: In Hong Kong, the parents of new-born babies are beset with multiple problems, like the shortage of milk powder and kindergarten places. They are either run by the government or a charitable or a religious organization. The city scored 4.8 for the quality of its education system, 20th out of the 140 economies. Most of my tutorial classes take place at my student’s home in the late afternoon. Both the scale and quality of cultural exchange has grown in the past decade. Living in Hong Kong. As they are already deprived of rest, sitting through an extra class requires grit and remarkable willpower, mental capabilities a young brain is not fully equipped with. The Hong Kong Youth and Children Education Center opened in 2013, offering self-sponsored services and free testing for kids of families in need. At the moment, the Hong Kong Children and Youth Services helps those who have a tendency of violence. Hong Kong operates a vibrant and competitive international and local school sector with schools offering curricula of the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and the International Baccalaureate. Thus, finding a Catholic or Protestant school in Hong Kong should not be a … The use of English as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong's education system has been a source of controversy since the early years of British colonial rule. Hong Kong Education. More than 80,000 high school graduates compete for one of the 15,000 government-subsidized first-year university spots each year. All 12 years of education, from primary to senior secondary school (ages 6 through 18), is free for students attending public schools. Together these serve roughly 7.4 million people. Apply, arrive, and get started! Hong Kong operates a vibrant and competitive international and local school sector with schools offering curricula of the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and the International Baccalaureate. As a result, students have to deal with an enormous amount of homework, even in the first year of primary school, lecture-style teaching methods, and a strong focus on academic achievement rather than personal development. In a writing assignment, a student of mine replaced a specific phrase given in the scoring instructions with a sentence of her own, which was clearly more well-constructed. Hong Kong Healthcare System Explained. “The fact that Beijing has a problem with Hong Kong’s education system is confirmation that Britain did not leave behind a legacy of colonial education. A Hong Kong teacher's licence has been removed after being accused of promoting the territory's independence in the classroom. Hong Kong: The Facts - Education. I can, at most, prompt them to wash their face in the bathroom when they start zoning out, but the class must go on. Education in Hong Kong is moving towards an advanced global education system while also placing efforts on fusing the cultures between mainland China and itself. However, with respect to the education itself, there is no major difference between schools in Hong Kong and mainland China. The enormous protests in Hong Kong since this spring have led to fresh fears about the viability of China's “one country, two systems.” On June 10, the U.S. State Department expressed concern that “the continued erosion of the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework puts at risk Hong Kong's long-established special status in international affairs.” Am I doing enough to resist the broken school system, or I should resign myself to doing no more than what these parents pay me to do? Hong Kong is the place for an incomparable educational experience. Hong Kong is currently in the process of a major education reform, which is designed to cut down on the number of exams in the curriculum and to place more attention on personal development. Other major problems of the current education system include low enrolment rates in local universities as well as social and psychological problems among students due to high stress. Yet, I am reluctant to let my feeling of despair take over. From my experience, children can make surprisingly good choices when given the right amount of guidance and liberty. To them, perfect scores and immaculate report cards are the only pathways to their kids’ success in the future. Tai Hay-lap, vice-chairman of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, a nonprofit charity organization in Hong Kong, said the problem lies not in the curriculum, but in the textbooks. The commentary said nearly 23 years after the handover, Hong Kong had yet to establish a new education system that was in line with “one country, two … It is overseen by the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department. Private tuition has been a burgeoning industry in Hong Kong, thanks to some parents who idolatrously believe in “winning at the starting line”, enrolling their kids in tutorial classes after school and on weekends. Further, the “spoon-fed” teaching style does not allow for lively student debates or the promotion of critical thinking. This makes me wonder time and again about my role as an educator. Public schools make up the majority of schools in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is the place for an incomparable educational experience. So, what are the biggest problems facing the education system in Britain and how can we solve them? The school year in Hong Kong begins in the fall and ends in the early summer. Our work is governed by a Code of Ethics and we publish an Annual Report and Transparency Report every year. Hong Kong's education system is famously cutthroat, and experts compare it to a pressure cooker. As a student from a very traditional girls school in Hong Kong, I can definitely list off a lot of weaknesses. Education System in Hong Kong The education system in Hong Kong was influenced by British rule and contains many elements that can also be seen in the United Kingdom .It is currently revised, and in order to keep things simple, here only the education system presented as it will be implemented in 2012 (a good introduction to both the old and the new system can be found in ). Tai was a member of the Education Commission back in 2000. Learn more about how you can support us and ensure our independence. Most students in Singapore enrol in government schools and government-aided schools in which they access the national curriculum, developed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), at a standardised fee. But the reason why I feel so deeply about this is that I have never seen a smile on their faces. Hong Kong news – Independent &, non-profit. By contrast, Hong Kong’s entire city budget equals about 22% of the city’s GDP, with spending on education, social welfare and health accounting for just less than half of that total. Public medical care is administered jointly by the Hong Kong Department of Health and the Hospital Authority. The SAR needs to adapt existing concepts of development and planning and adopt a system more sympathetic to a sustainable growth pattern and taking into account historical, cultural and environmental factors. Its staff provides services in addition to speaking gently, listening to the youth and helping them process their thoughts with patience and empathy. Of this, $99.6 billion is recurrent expenditure on education, comprising 20.5 per cent of total recurrent government expenditure. A year will also be added to the Senior level of secondary school by 2012. It fills me with anger knowing that my students, the pillars of the society, fall prey to the reprehensible Hong Kong education system on account of the incompetence of education reformists and the immense pressure from their parents. When you think of education in China, do you imagine groups of glasses-clad youngsters copying thousands of characters, learning by rote? Hong Kong is notorious for its high-stress education system. A private tutor for some years, I have taught local children ranging from age 6 to 15. So I constantly keep in mind the reason why I do what I do — to help children realise their potential, and impart the value of hard work and serving a purpose in life, which is discredited in a place like Hong Kong where most people are in the blind pursuit of material wealth. But if my students are ultimately unable to apply them at school where flexibility is stifled and conformity is rewarded, my efforts are futile. The Singapore education system. History and Ethnic Relations Emergence of the Nation. Follow her on Medium. The healthcare system in Hong Kong is unique in that it has high-quality private and public healthcare tracks. In addition, many teachers in Hong Kong are greatly influenced by Western education; thus, they are more likely to recognize the issues of freedom, democracy and human rights as opposed to strengthening their identities with the mainland region. Guest contributors for Hong Kong Free Press. This has allowed me to witness first-hand, as an insider of the education field, the effects of the failing school system on students’ attitudes towards learning and personal development. Prior to entering secondary school, they brace themselves for other exams, like the Hong Kong Attainment Test, in the hope of getting good results that allow them to enter a good class that separates the high scorers from the under-performers. Hong Kong is not short of investment in education with public expenditure around HK$79 billion during the year 2015 to 16 constituting around 3.3 % of GDP and 18.5% of government expenditure.1There are also many other resources available for education development such as Quality Education Fund. Like a lot of political issues, money is a big factor. ...In Hong Kong education system, there are six types of primary and secondary schools, government schools, subsidized schools, Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools, private schools, private international schools and English Schools Foundation. They are either run by the government or a charitable or a religious organization. Many schools also identify with a particular country (such as Japan, Singapore, Canada or France) and offer separate English and foreign-language sections. Trophies won over the years and bookshelves of exercise books covering different subjects adorn his home. It is not uncommon to see fast food shops and public study rooms filled with students, burying their heads in their mountain of homework after school hours. Living in Hong Kong. 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