Recently, radical opposition forces in Hong Kong have repeatedly carried out violent incidents. Many young people have been incited to "hate the police", and some "general education" teachers have even publicly insulted and cursed the police online, causing Hong Kong people to worry about the education of young people. What’s wrong with Hong Kong’s “general education”? On the 17th, "Global Times" interviewed Deng Fei, former chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Educators, principal of Tseung Kwan O Hong Kong Island Secondary School, and director of the National Hong Kong and Macao Research Association, on the topic of "general education". He said that currently "general education" in Hong Kong has Hijacked by opposition forces, the field of "liberal education" cannot be occupied by those with radical political preferences. In addition, he also firmly believes that no matter how difficult it is, the work of promoting national education in Hong Kong should continue.
The following is the transcript of the interview:
Global Times: Could you please briefly introduce what "general education" is? What is the difference between "national education" and "national education"?
Deng Fei: "General education" has no direct relationship with "national education". General education is a compulsory subject in the Hong Kong College Entrance Examination, while national education is a teaching project that requires a clear curriculum and is not yet a clear subject. When the Hong Kong opposition launched the so-called "anti-state religion" movement in 2012, they actually opposed turning "national education" into a clear subject.
Before the handover, "general education" was only an elective, and very few people took it, so it had little reference value. The "General Education" subject was officially implemented in Hong Kong high schools in 2009, and all students were required to take it to take the exam. Three years later, in 2012, starting from the reformed Hong Kong College Entrance Examination, the "General Education" subject was included in the curriculum. It is a compulsory exam. Now Hong Kong students need to take four exams to enter university: Chinese, English, mathematics and general studies. Other Chinese and foreign history, physical chemistry, etc. are only electives. Therefore, for Hong Kong students who want to enter university, "general education" cannot be bypassed. The importance of the subjects can be imagined.
"General Education" includes six units such as individuals and interpersonal relationships, Hong Kong, China, and globalization. However, it only has one syllabus, no fixed teaching scope, and no textbooks. It is basically based on the syllabus. Relevant to current social events happening every day. The purpose of "general education" is to enable students to master the ability to analyze current social events and establish positive values. It does not say which things "must be tested" and which "must not be tested". The form of the examination is somewhat similar to the "application essay" for civil servants in the Mainland. ", but the length requirement is not that long. There are usually six questions. The first three are required questions, and the students can choose one of the following three questions to answer, which requires students to have strong integration ability.
Global Times: What is the current development status of "general education" in Hong Kong? Young people once again show their radical side on the issue of legislative amendments. Is there a problem with Hong Kong's "general education"?
Deng Fei: In the first three years of the "general education", there was a mandatory question about Hong Kong politics, and the test was very deep. At that time, public opinion was in an uproar. Students must follow the baton of the college entrance examination, so in this way, candidates are guided to prepare for political questions. After that, there were suddenly no political questions in the "General Education" exam of the Hong Kong College Entrance Examination. However, since 2014, a series of incidents such as the illegal "Occupy Central" occurred in Hong Kong. As a result, both teachers and students believe that highly political topics cannot be avoided, and they still need to make great efforts to prepare.
In fact, for young people aged 17 or 18, there is no problem at all in taking exams on scientific subjects such as environmental protection, sustainable development, and public health. They often have the most trouble with political questions, because political questions involve a lot of things. Very professional political science and legal knowledge, which is something that a 17- or 18-year-old cannot understand. This is like sex education. Political topics in "general education" enlighten young people's interest in politics early, just like precocious puberty.
In addition, the problems with "general education" are not entirely in the syllabus and examination questions. The problem lies in the teachers who teach. Quite a few of them have their own distinct political stances, and they may even be very radical people.So in a relatively open subject like "General Education", their teaching freedom is much greater than in other subjects. For example, when talking about history, the Tang Dynasty cannot become the Han Dynasty, and knowledge cannot be changed at will. But "general education" is different. In the name of "extracurricular practice", some more radical teachers even take students to demonstrations and rallies instigated by the opposition, and they can easily participate in radical activities.
Global Times: So in a place like Hong Kong that was once a colony, should general education have some special characteristics?
Deng Fei: The current "open general education" in Hong Kong is actually very fragmented, unorganized and unsystematic. At least I have not seen any authoritative education research scholars argue that this so-called "open" education is good for basic education. Because it does not conform to the laws of education and educational planning. In particular, the fragmentation of knowledge in the Internet age has made students less organized in "open" learning, and more accepting of some one-sided and monopolistic stereotypes on the Internet. In this case, prejudices are reinforced.
For former colonial areas like Hong Kong, when the work of "decolonization" has not been fully completed, the entire society's thinking habits, media, and people's understanding and identity of the country have not yet been fully established, and it is easy to The British or Western colonists have a "beautiful impression" because most of these young people were born and raised after 1997, and their understanding of before 1997 is a blank slate. This "beautiful impression" may be through this An "open" curriculum and assessment are solidified. It is difficult for students to identify with their country or nation.
Global Times: In other words, under the influence of factors such as their own emotions, education, and media rendering, Hong Kong students' social cognition and values are easily biased?
Deng Fei: For young people, the negative influence among peers is very terrible. What does it mean? For example, if we are in a circle and there are several people in it who want to participate in radical activities, if you don't go, you will soon be isolated and expelled from the circle of friends. This is a very scary thing for young people on campus. Under this kind of pressure, many people did not want to participate in radical activities, so they participated under the influence of "herd mentality".
Global Times: Can it be understood that the opposition is actually controlling Hong Kong's "general education"? During this "extradition bill" turmoil, have you observed any signs of Western anti-China forces penetrating into the education sector?
Deng Fei: In the education world, the opposition is relatively strong. For example, a typical education platform is the so-called "Education Association". However, in some radical actions involving participants in the education field, it is not the "teaching association" that promotes some radical forces, but once a radical person in the education field appears, he can take control of general courses through assessments or other channels. , even if he does not originally belong to the "Teaching Association", it is very likely that he will be recruited by the "Teaching Association" in the future. It can be said that the opposition forces have “kidnapped” Hong Kong’s “general education”.
In this "revision" incident, foreign countries have obviously made much more voices than the illegal "Occupy Central". Yesterday (16th), the "New York Times" published an interview with former US Consul General in Hong Kong, Doug Pao, a reporter. Asked "Under what circumstances will the 'U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act' be shaken?" Bao Daoge gave a bunch of examples, one of which was related to education. He mentioned that once the mainland's education standards are "enforced" in Hong Kong, It is possible that Hong Kong's "special status" in the eyes of the United States can be reinterpreted in a way that I have never seen before.
Global Times: What signal do you think Doug Bao’s words convey?
Deng Fei: This shows that the United States is very deliberate and has a very deep plan when it comes to the Chinese government’s governance of Hong Kong. The United States is engaged in strategic competition with China and has made sufficient psychological preparations to intervene in all aspects of Hong Kong affairs. This is something that is easily overlooked by everyone.
Global Times: Where should we start from to reform education?
Deng Fei: The problem of education should be solved through educational methods. The Education Bureau of the SAR government once proposed a revised consultation draft for the middle school curriculum. A very important point is that the four compulsory subjects must be "reduced" so that students can Make time and energy for electives, especially science subjects. Because the number of science elective students in Hong Kong is declining, we believe that Hong Kong needs to find new economic growth points in the future. Basic science education cannot fall behind in talent training. However, now the compulsory subjects take up most of the students’ elective study time, so science must be revitalized. , space must be released.
Global Times: Can simply changing the subject structure solve the problem?
Deng Fei: It is not easy to make major adjustments to the college entrance examination subjects, because it involves the international recognition of Hong Kong’s college entrance examination system. Outside of the classroom, I think faculty related to "general education" should have a wider variety of choices and not be occupied by those with radical political preferences for a long time. For example, some time ago, a "General Education" teacher, Lai Dezhong, who made "insulting police" remarks online, was the chairman of the General Education Subject Committee of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority. He only resigned after the incident occurred.
Global Times: You once called for "the national education must be promoted no matter how difficult it is." However, is it hopeless to implement the "National Education Curriculum" in the current social environment of Hong Kong?
Deng Fei: is a matter of human effort. I firmly believe that in the most "hopeless" situation, we still have to push forward, play the right sign, and be confident, otherwise the situation will continue to deteriorate. Now the name "National Education" has been demonized in Hong Kong. The more demonized it is, the more difficult it is to rise to the challenge. At the very least, there should be a separate course in junior high schools and primary schools. These basic values courses should be taught in primary schools. The foundation has already been laid in junior high school.
