Back from a trip to Hong Kong, OECD education expert Andreas
Schleicher wrote a blog post highlighting how the city-state
became of the world's education champions. Much has changed ever since it
merged with China in 1997. Once independent, Hong Kong can barely
be distinguished from neighboring districts. Its "software",
however, is still unique, Schleicher argues. Institutions and rule
of law work differently.
Blend of East and West
"It is intriguing to see how Hong Kong has drawn together
educational experience from the Eastern and Western world to design
a world class education system. You see that in everyday life too,
they treat their guests with the hospitality of the Chinese way but
queue on the bus the British way."
Hong Kong is already at the top in the international PISA
ranking. In 2009, the city came in on place 4 right after education
champions Shanghai, Korea and Finland. Yet, major reforms were
implemented to change the focus from learning by heart towards
learning capacities. 2012 will see the first generation of high
school graduates that studied under the integrated education
regime.
From learning by heart to learning
capacities
Schleicher writes that "the learner-centred reforms underlying
this new system have been far-reaching, paralleling similar
developments in other high performing education system. They
involved significant expansion of educational opportunity as well
as a shift in emphasis from teaching to learning, from fact
memorisation to development of learning capacities, and from
economic needs to individual needs."
"The broadened and more flexible curriculum seeks a better
balance between intellectual, social, moral, physical and
aesthetical aspects, with much greater emphasis on transversal
skills including foundation skills, career-related competencies,
thinking skills, people skills as well as values and attitudes. The
reforms have also included more funding flexibility in support of
schools. All of this has pushed schools and teachers to take a
professional stand and exercise professional autonomy within a
collaborative culture."
For the full blog post, please click here