Liberal Studies to be Liberally Revamped

 

Secondary students will have revamped liberal studies next year

The Hong Kong government is trying to shape the education of the next generation, by not giving them the opportunity to freely analyze and assess current affairs in their hometown as well as China, as well as further develop their critical thinking skills.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung announced late this afternoon that the subject of liberal studies will get a new curriculum, new grading and even a new name. 

Yeung says the course will be renamed

He said all teaching materials would be vetted by the government, and the existing curriculum would be slashed in half "to reduce the pressure on students". The material will put more emphasis on the country's development, the Basic Law and rule of law.

Meanwhile how students will be assessed will be revamped from the original seven-grade scoring system to a pas or fail.

Also as part of the course, students must make a trip to the mainland, though there are no details yet on where, for how long, and what they are expected to get from the visit, let alone the cost.

Yeung claimed the name of the course had to be changed because liberal studies had a "negative stigma" associated with it.

"We observed over the years, there are a lot of... usually not so good connotations with the name. As we are now going to refine the subject, we are now trying to make the subject have a new start. We think it is more appropriate to have a new name," he said.

Right...

The curriculum will be vetted by government

Liberal studies was first talked about during the first chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's administration back in 2000, and was finally implemented nine years later.

It is currently compulsory for senior secondary students who want to go on to university. 

Originally the aim of liberal studies was to enable students to develop multiple perspectives on contemporary issues, help them to become independent thinkers and learn a range of skills, including critical thinking, problem solving and creativity.

But now the pro-Beijing camp, and ironically Tung himself, are highly critical of the course, saying it influenced students to participate in the 2014 umbrella movement that exercised civil disobedience, and then five years later the anti-government protests that later evolved into violence.

However, outgoing education sector lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen described the government's decision to overhaul the subject as "abrupt" and made out of "political considerations".

"I think they are trying to cut down the emphasis on the study of current issues and also the ideas of critical thinking, independent thinking would not be emphasized so much," Ip said.

Ip says the revamp is a political decision

He also pointed out the contradiction that the government wanted to lighten the students' workload and yet they had to make a trip to the mainland as part of the course.

"This is the time when the students are in their examination years, so their schedule for studying is already very intense, so how can the students spend a long time in a field trip in the mainland," Ip asked. "And also the teachers will have to do a lot of things to prepare for the trip... why are they adding the extra things?"

Whichever way the education secretary tries to spin it, everyone knows it is a political decision to get Hong Kong students to be more appreciative of the mainland. There is nothing wrong with learning more about China or even going there, but there also needs to be a healthy dose of skepticism which is an important element in learning in general.  

But no, the Hong Kong government, and by extension Beijing wants to nurture a new generation of compliant citizens and think this is the way to do it.

Good luck.