HKAHSS’s Expectations for Hong Kong Education – Written in the election of Chief Executive in 2017

In the 2017 Chief Executive Election, we are pleased to see all candidates have shown concerns over the education in Hong Kong. They have even pledged for more resources for education. With regard to this, we would like to express our concerns and propose suggestion for the betterment of Hong Kong education.

Ecology of the Education and School System
Increasing number of affluent parents have been sending their children to study overseas. This indicates the doubt over whether the system could accommodate the needs of students with diverse learning styles and abilities. It is therefore important for the Chief Executive elect and the government to review on how to maintain diversities in education provisions with the ample opportunities to develop students’ individuality. At the same time, it is important to ensure the openness, fairness and equity of the local education system. Besides, we should not overlook the tremendous stress and burden upon teachers due to the consistent drop in the number of students which has led to the instability in the regular teaching posts, and not to mention the Education Reform in 2000. It would be desirable to the government to provide more regular teaching posts to maintain a safe and stable environment that will foster quality education provisions. Recognition for teachers’ professional status should also be enhanced as well.

Curriculum Development and Assessment
The main components in the Education Reform in 2000 has placed much stress on the development of core competencies. The challenges are actually on the how to put ideals into practices. The implementation process has gone out of the right track due to the over- emphasis on the design of the curriculum and school-based assessment. Together with a number of new initiatives such as STEM and “One Belt One Road”, the school curriculum is overly crammed. As a result, the currently packed curriculum suppresses students’ personal growth.
We should introduce a curriculum that can enhance students’ autonomy and broaden their horizon. It would be good to simplify the School-based Assessment process or even eliminate SBA in some subjects. We should focus on allowing students to develop leadership skills through a variety of practical activties, experiential learning in overseas exchange programmes, workplace/intership experience and doing voluntary work instead of mere text book knowledge.

Diverse Abilities and Multiple pathway
An education system that is too rigid will do more harm than good to students who seek diversities nowadays. It is advisable to assess students beyond their academic performance and to provide funding to students who display different interests, abilities and backgrounds. The government should strive to provide flexible and diversified pathways with multiple entry and exit points to secondary school graduates so as to better prepare them to plan for further studies and career paths.

Future Planning
We believe that communication and consensus building are important. We therefore recommend the government to maintain a good dialogue with educational bodies to tap good suggestions and contributions to the development of education. Before 2000, the former Education Department and the Education Commission took up the responsibility of education policy planning, development and actual implementation. However, their roles seem to be fading out. It is extremely important for them to play their roles well and engage in discreet, timely and visionary planning as well as the prudent and conscious implementation of education policies.

Conclusion
“Rome is not built in one day” and the same goes for education development. The contentions over various education provisions help us see more clearly what it takes to nurture students to become independent and respectful individuals who have the ability to contribute to society and our country.

香港中學校長會對香港教育的期望——寫在2017特首選戰中

English version

2017年是特首選舉年，我們樂見數名參選人都表達了對香港教育的重視，並承諾投放更多資源發展、優化教育。但只是資源的投放，是否便能讓香港教育重回正軌、學生學習有所裨益？香港中學校長會執委們特向參選人表達正困擾學界的教育政策及社會氣候，並為明日教育發展需要提出一些建議。

我們深信不同體制、不同背景的學校，均有其獨特的角色及價值。惟近年所見讓我們感到憂慮：有經濟能力的家長或選擇將子女送往外國，或讓子女於國際學校、直資學校等就讀，而正為香港80%以上學生提供教育的公營學校，漸漸淪為次選。公營體系學校的辦學正面對什麼問題及困境？教育當局有否提供足夠的辦學條件、保留足夠的空間，讓不同體系的學校能為不同需要的學生提供同樣優質的教育？

我們支持多元辦學，但在多元辦學的理念下，仍須堅守教育的開放性及公平性。

我們期望下任特首及其團隊能全面檢視不同體系學校的辦學條件，讓就讀於不同教育體系的學生均能按其個別性（individuality）發展。

近年教師隊伍面對極大壓力，2000年起的教育改革、近年教育的新趨勢、社會的複雜性及對立化、家庭結構的碎片化，均令教師疲於奔命。而學童人口的持續下降，更影響着教師隊伍的專業化及可持續發展。教學工作的壓力與教席的不穩定，窒礙了具質素的新一代加入教師行列的意願，也局限了老師照顧學生學業以及學業以外需要的空間。

我們期盼新一屆政府能優化教師編制及學校發展規劃、改善學校的班級教師比例，以及開設更多專職教席以照顧有不同需要的學生。同時讓更多合約教師轉為編制內的學位教師，以穩定優質教師隊伍，優化學與教及學生培育工作。

同樣重要的，是讓校長及教師的專業地位受到認同及尊重。在參考其他地方教育發展的成功經驗，新政府應設法提升教師專業地位，吸引有志從事教育的人才加入，以利長遠教育質素的提升。

課程發展與多元評估

我們深信教育質素的核心，在於課程及學習評估的設計。2000年教育改革以發展學生核心能力（core competencies）為主，但在落實至課程及學習評估設計時，卻競逐於課程內容的深度與廣度、校本評核的規範與監察。這數年間，更漸次加入不同的課程要求如STEM（科學、科技、工程和數學）、《基本法》、「一帶一路」等，令中學教育愈趨擠迫。當國際教育趨向是科目整合，將舊有科目框架模糊化，香港卻仍拘泥於通識必修與否、中史獨立與否，將一個又一個人為的學習框架硬套在教育上，我們又如何可以培育能面向國際競爭的新一代？

教育局正逐步發表新一份的中學課程指引，這一份掌管着中學教育未來發展的文件，在諮詢及溝通不足的情况下推出，當中計算學校每年170多天的學與教上課日數，完全脫離學校現實。可預見的結果是另一個過於龐大的教學課程的出現，課程以外的學生發展需要將被擠壓。

我們認為課程發展議會及課程發展處的專業職能必須優化，在課程設計與編排上，須避免政治影響教育。當前急務是修訂過深及過闊的中學文憑試課程，引入不同程度的課程供不同能力的學生選擇，並騰出空間，培養學生自主學習能力，加強學生情意及生命教育、歷史意識、國際視野及世界公民素養。

教學的推行深受公開考試設計影響，我們認同評估有助教學的優化，但必須是具質素的多元評估。我們期盼中學文憑試能引進不同程度的卷別，並進一步簡化及刪減校本評核，以活化整個高中教育，讓學生能作更多的海外交流、職場體驗，更有系統的義工服務，或培養個人的領袖能力等，而不是單單埋首書本。

我們更希望新政府能優化不同教育評核數據收集的方法，並能顯示適切運用數據回饋教學的能力，真正支援學校進行促進學習的評估，而非「一刀切」的追逐成績數字的「系統性」監控。

多元能力與多元出路

目前整個教育設計是單一化及規範化，所有學生不論能力志趣，基本上走着同一條學習路。但當社會發展日趨複雜、學童需要愈趨多元，過於規範化的教育及考評，不利於建構促進孩子發展、包容異質、和諧共進的未來社會。

我們建議大學收生能多考慮學生學業以外的表現，亦建議新政府能增加資助與自資專上教育的學位名額及資助金額，並為不同興趣、能力和背景的學生，開設不同類型的課程及工作機會，靈活地引進多元進出的概念，讓學生因應個人發展需要，能於不同時段離開教育體系（multi-exit points）、重回教育體系（multi-entry points）以及接駁晉升不同升學途徑等。唯有將中學接駁大學的瓶頸位置開闊，教育才有活化的機會。

我們樂見新政府能增加對教育整體投資，更期盼能將較多資源投放於最有需要的學生、學校和教育發展項目上。教育是香港社會未來的投資，人才培育是優質社會發展的命脈。

業界溝通與未來規劃

我們深信專業互信、尊重及協作，對教育發展至為重要。可惜的是，近年政府與學界未有充分溝通，以致政策或是未能配合實際所需，或是政策與政策間互相矛盾。

我們建議教育局與學界在沒有前設下定期溝通互動，也期盼政府能設立不同層次的教育諮詢架構、工作小組及獨立委員會，真正廣泛邀請業界不同代表，虛心兼聽，讓更多人可以為教育發展出謀獻策。

尚記得2000年之前的教育發展，除當年的教育署掌管教育政策外，另有教育統籌委員會為教育發展作出長遠規劃。今日香港，又有哪個部門、委員會能肩負這個任務，讓教育能跨越政府屆別，具方向地逐步發展、提升？

結語

我們深信，教育不是一人之事，教育願景須共同建立；教育也非一時之事，須具長遠的目標及方向。但看今日香港，教育系統及制度的爭議、課程規劃及實踐的落差、「一刀切」評估引伸的不健康文化等等，雖然是老掉大牙的指控，但卻是實實在在影響着我們如何去培育下一代，使之成為一個具識見、能獨立思考、懂得愛與尊重，並能按其個別性發揮所長、成就自己、貢獻社會與國家的年輕人。