To reflect the development and history of education in Hong Kong, the author has collected a wide range of fascinating and illuminating material from different sources, and, wherever appropriate, has included his own commentaries. The book will be a valuable source of reference for educationalists and others who are interested in the development of education in Hong Kong.
This title was first published in 1992: Explores the implications of the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997 to the People's Republic of China and the political, economic and cultural impact of the social transition on education.
Hong Kong and Macao have much in common. The dominant populations in both territories are Cantonese-speaking Chinese; both are small in area; both are urban societies; both have been colonies of European powers; and both have undergone political transition to reunification with China. Yet in education, for reasons that are analysed in this book, they are very different. The patters of similarities and differences in the two territories make a fascinating basis for comparative study. The overarching theme of the book, on continuity and change is particularly pertinent following the transition of the two societies of the postcolonial era. This thoroughly-revised and expanded second edition builds on the widely-acclaimed first edition. The work has been recognised as a significant contribution to the broad field of comparative education as well as to study of the specific societies which are its main focus.
Promoting All-Round Education for Girls presents the history of Heep Yunn School, one of the oldest girls’ schools in Hong Kong. Amalgamated from two British mission schools founded in the 1880s for destitute girls and daughters of Christian parents, and renamed Heep Yunn School in 1936, the institution has witnessed and responded to the dramatic changes of Hong Kong over the years. By the time of the outbreak of the Second World War, Heep Yunn had expanded to offer a full Chinese middle school course for girls based upon Christian principles of all-round education. The school expanded rapidly after the war and became a bilingual institution to meet the demand for English language education. Eventually English would become the primary medium of instruction soon after the introduction of nine-year universal education in 1978. Heep Yunn strives to provide a full-fledged all-round education in the midst of political and education reforms. The school opted to switch its status from a government-aided school to a direct subsidy scheme school in the early 2010s so as to retain a larger degree of autonomy. This history of Heep Yunn School documents the concerted efforts of the school council, staff, students, alumnae, and parents to achieve the evolving visions of Christian education for girls as Hong Kong grew from a colonial trading port to a global financial centre in the twenty-first century. ‘Promoting All-Round Education for Girls convincingly charts the shifting purposes and practices of girls’ education in Hong Kong. The text moves seamlessly between the history of the school and the wider context of Hong Kong’s history. Patricia P. K. Chiu illustrates how the school’s educational policy evolved according to the wider strategies and shifts that relate models of femininity and nation-building.’ —Joyce Goodman, University of Winchester ‘This solidly-referenced work provides a balanced and detailed outlook on the unique, evolving features of education in Hong Kong. It shows the effects on Heep Yunn School of major historical changes in education policy and how the school has contributed to the education of girls in Hong Kong in periods of dramatic challenge like the Sino-Japanese War and the disturbances of the late 1960s.’ —Ruth Hayhoe, University of Toronto
This volume offers comprehensive 'state-of-the-art' overviews of educational policies concerning the teaching of English in a large number of Asian countries. Each contribution is written by a leading expert and gives a clear assessment of current policies and future trends. Starting with a description of the English education policies in the respective countries, the contributors then delve into the 'nuts and bolts' of the English education policies and how they play out in practice in the education system, in schools, in the curriculum, and in teaching. Topics covered include the balance between the acquisition of English and the national language, political, cultural, economic and technical factors that strengthen or weaken the learning of English.
The book examines ancient religious traditions and modernity in a globalized Asia that is as much in need of a moral compass as it is economic development. Religious education has been an aspect of many societies over time and irrespective of culture. Yet as globalization advances local values are challenged every day by internationalized discourses and global perspectives. It is this context that provides the rationale for this edited book. It seeks to understand what forms religious education takes in Asian contexts and what role it continues to play. On the one hand, the societies which are the subject of this book reflect ancient religious traditions but on the other they are responsible for a significant portion of the world’s economic development. The book will appeal to researchers interested in the current state of religious education in Asia, policymakers with responsibility for religious education and teachers who practice religious education on a daily basis.
As Asian education systems increasingly take on a stronger presence on the global educational landscape, of special interest is an understanding of the ways in which many of these states direct their schools towards higher achievement. What is missing, however, are accounts that take seriously the particular construction of the strong, developmental state witnessed across many Asian societies, and that seek to understand the politics and possibilities of curriculum change vis a vis precisely the dominance of such a state. By engaging in analyses based on some of the best current social and cultural theories, and by illuminating the interactions among various state and non-state pedagogic agents, the chapters in this volume account for the complex post-colonial, historical and cultural consciousnesses that many Asian states and societies experience. At a time when much of the educational politics in Asia remains in a state of transition and as many of these states seek out through the curriculum new forms of social control and novel bases of political legitimacy, such a volume offers enduring insights into the real if not also always relative autonomy that schools and communities maintain in countering the hegemonic presence of strong states.
In the World Library of Educationalists series, international experts compile career-long collections of what they judge to be their finest pieces – extracts from books, key articles, salient research findings, major theoretical and practical contributions – so the world can read them in a single manageable volume. Readers will be able to follow the themes and strands and see how their work contributes to the development of the field. For more than three decades, Gerard A. Postiglione has witnessed first-hand the globalization of education and society in Hong Kong, China and the wider Asian region. He is a pioneer among Western scholars in the field and his fluency in Chinese has resulted in innovative primary research and fieldwork. He has brought sociological, policy, and comparative perspectives to important educational issues in Asia. His research emphasizes the diversity and complexity of the region, from studies of education and the academic profession during Hong Kong’s retrocession, to reform of ethnic minority education and the rise of world class universities in the Chinese mainland, as well as the complexity of mass higher education in an increasingly dynamic Asia. He is one of the researchers most sought-after by international organizations concerned with educational reform in Asia and by major media outlets to inform the public on issues of globalization and higher education. Gerard was honoured by the Comparative and International Education Society with a Lifetime Contribution Award and Best Book Award for his contribution to the field. In 2016 he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. This selection of 12 of his most representative papers and chapters documents his scholarship in comparative higher education in Asia.
Hong Kong's Chinese History Curriculum from 1945: Politics and Identity investigates the ways in which Chinese history has evolved as a subject in Hong Kong secondary schools since 1945, and the various social, political and economic factors that have shaped the curriculum, through an examination of a wide range of primary and secondary source materials and interviews. This book examines how the aims, content, teaching, learning and assessment of the Chinese history curriculum have evolved since 1945. It describes how Chinese history became an independent subject in secondary schools in Hong Kong despite the political sensitivity of the subject, how it consolidated its status during the colonial period, and how it has faced threats to its independence since the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997. An important element of the book is its in-depth analysis of the major socio-political and socio-economic forces that have been involved in the development of Chinese history. This book will be of interest to all who are interested in history education and curriculum development, and readers who are concerned with history education.
This book examines in detail the efforts of the University of Hong Kong to provide adult education opportunities at university level, the establishment of its Department of Extra-Mural Studies in 1956 and the School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE) in 1992.
