Hong Kong Education System

By Chin Pang Wong | Submitted On March 11, 2008

0
The exam-oriented education system has long been criticized for jeopardizing the development
of students' critical thinking and career knowledge. Students graduated from secondary schools
lack the skills and knowledge for entering the job market and what they possess is knowledge
needed for university studies rather than for the workplace.
In the 2003/04 school year, the Hong Kong SAR Government piloted 12 COC courses in senior
secondary school (SSS). There are 17 classes covering 382 students coming from 57 different
schools. In 2004/05 school year the courses increased to 32, offering 69 classes to 1427 students
coming from 132 schools. As its name implies, the COC contains courses designed to meet needs
of specific professions. Currently, there are nine areas of studies including business, arts and
media, design, services, performing arts, information technology, engineering, food production
and management, and leisure, tourism and hospitality. All of these courses are designed to meet
the demands of the new Hong Kong economic structure.
The COC is designed for students with interest and inclination in areas other than those provided
by the existing examination subjects. It aims at providing students with the opportunities to
explore their orientation for life-long learning and career aspirations in specific areas. Through
the COC, the Hong Kong SAR Government expects students can develop better understanding
about their career orientation and competency. This can also help students decide on life
objectives. Many students also understand the importance of studying hard and become more
motivated in learning other subjects. Through the study of career-oriented courses, students
would also develop their generic skills, values and attitude, acquire the knowledge and skills as
well as understand the workplace requirement of a particular career. Students would also be able
to obtain one certificate and multiple diplomas for further studies, work, or both at the senior
secondary level through the study of the COC.
New Choices and Chances for Students
Some of the COC courses (e.g. food production, tourism or performing arts) not only require
knowledge, but also require skills, value and attitude which are largely ignored or
underdeveloped in the traditional curriculum design. Students who experience failure or

unsatisfactory performance during their primary or junior secondary school studies can have new
chance and choice to experience success and develop some of their talents, they can bring out
some of their skills that long been buried and make unnoticed during earlier studies.
With COC studies, students not only learn more knowledge about their chosen professions, but
also expose themselves to the professions earlier through various kinds of practices or visits.
With earlier career exposure through COC, students can come to identify their abilities and then,
in light of such recognition, the choices become obvious and also increase their motivation to
learn.
COC and Self-Concept Development
According to Berk (2004), vocational development moves through three phases: a fantasy period
(early and middle childhood), in which children explore career options through play; young
children gain insight into career options by fantasizing about them. However, their preferences
are largely guided by family, glamour, and excitement and usually bear little relationship to the
decisions they will eventually make.
The second stage is the tentative period (early ad middle adolescence). Between ages 11 and 16,
adolescents think about careers in a more complex ways. At first, they evaluate vocational
options in terms of their interests. Later, as they become more aware of personal an educational
requirements for different vocations, they take into account their abilities and values.
The third stage is the realistic period (late adolescence and emerging adulthood). By the late
teens and early twenties, the economic and practical realities of adulthood are just around the
corner, and young people narrow their options. At first, many do so through further exploration,
gathering more information about a set of possibilities that blends with their personal
characteristics. Then they enter a final phase of crystallization, in which they focus on a general
vocational category. Within it, they experiment for a time before settling on a single occupation.
If students can accumulate knowledge of their preferred vocation, of the education requirements
to enter it, and of the future demand for it, students could benefit from it. But high-ambition/
low-knowledge young people are at risk for becoming 'drifting dreamers' since they fail to make
strategic choices about how to invest their efforts wisely. COC programs can do a better job of
helping young people learn more about the work that interested them and evaluate its fit with
their personal attributes since the COC teachers (most of them are field professionals) can
introduce students to people in those jobs, explaining up-to-date entry requirements, encouraging
participation or organizing relevant extra curriculum activities, and offering internships or

practices that provide first hand experiences. Students with a clear picture about the professions
they would like to join can develop a much realistic goal, with a much realistic goal; students can
take concrete steps to achieve the goal.
COC teachers play another significant role in motivating and developing students' interests as
well. They can act as mentor who provides a role model for students to learn. COC teachers can
also provide practical feedback for students to develop skills and attitude, at the same time;
students can see the skills accumulated are strongly relevant to the job required and increase their
motivation.
School is a place where students spend most of their prime time in, it is understandable some
development may strongly relate to the school environment. As I am an education practitioner
working in one of the senior secondary school which provides COC, I notice many new entrants
enrolled into our Form 4 classes are with negative self concept and low self-esteem, especially
belief hold about their academic ability. It not only hampers their potential to excel in certain
areas that requires particular skills or personality rather than their memorizing ability (kind of
skills in traditional examination), but also denies success they can experience. After a period of
studies, most of the Form 5 students can acuminate certain level sense of success throughout
their studies and develop a better self concept, some even want to further their studies after
graduation.
It is not an easy job to say what causes their negative self concept development in past time, but I
can point out a fact that most of the students are 'underachievers' during their junior secondary
school studies. With some personal conversations, they let me know how they feel about studies,
how bad their school experience can be and it leads me to make a decision to investigate how
their psychological state develops in the new kind of learning environment.
Wong Chin Pang
BSW (Hons), MSSc, EdD (Candidate)
Education System in Hong Kong
The education system in Hong Kong was influenced by British rule and contains many elements
that can also be seen in the United Kingdom [1]. It is currently revised, and in order to keep
things simple, here only the education system presented as it will be implemented in 2012 (a
good introduction to both the old and the new system can be found in [2]). This article traces the
path of a student from primary school to graduation at a university. Leaving the optional 3-year
kindergarten aside, education consists of 6-year primary education, 3-year junior secondary

education, 3-year senior secondary education, and then - for those who are admitted to university
- 4-year tertiary education in a university undergraduate program.

Education from primary school towards undergraduate studies at

a university
While public schools offer cost-free 12-year primary education and secondary education [3], for
tertiary education universities generally charge tuition fees which are higher than in Germany but
often less than in the United States.
There are roughly three types of local schools in Hong Kong: those operated by the government,
those operated by other institutions but funded by the government, and private schools which
might also receive some financial assistance by the government [2] [3]. The government of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region spends 24.5% of its expenditures on education,
corresponding to 4.5% of GDP compared to 4.6% of GDP in Germany [4] [5].

Primary Education
It is compulsory for children to obtain primary education, which consists of six years at a
primary school. Placement does not take place before Primary 5 and Primary 6, as compared to
Germany, where the decision about going to university where placement procedures start as early
as in third and fourth year of primary school. The number of primary school students is shrinking
due to demographic change [6].
Secondary Education
After primary school, students attend a secondary school. At the end of six years of secondary
education students take a placement exam that leads to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary
Education (HKDSE) [3] [7], which has a similar function as the A-levels exam, the Abitur, the
International Baccalaureat obtained in other systems.
Tertiary Education
Depending on the results in the HKDSE exam, students can be admitted to one of the many
universities in Hong Kong, from which the most-often listed ones are the Hong Kong University
of Science and Technology, the Hong Kong University, and the Chinese University of Hong
Kong. Unlike the cost-free education in the previous 12-years of primary and secondary
education, universities charge a tuition fee, which covers a notable amount of university
expenditures, at least at HKUST where tuition fees made up 22 percent of all income in the
academic year ending in 2010[8]. The cost for tertiary education is not negligible, and often local
students need to take loans in order to cover their expenses.
International Orientation
Hong Kong's universities try to encourage good students from abroad to come study in Hong
Kong. There is lively exchange between students from the United States and Hong Kong. At
HKUST, more students come from th the United States than from all European countries
together. The same applies for the reverse direction [8].

The Hong Kong education and schooling system explained

[Articles home]

In the past, Hong Kong education was closely modeled on

the system that was found in the UK. This is hardly
surprising since Hong Kong was administered by Britain
from 1841 to 1997, when the former UK colony was
handed back to China. However, since 1997, the
education system taught in local schools has undergone a
series of changes. While some of these changes have
reflected different language of instruction policies, there
have also been changes to the senior secondary
curriculum. The new model, brought in at the beginning of
the 2009/10 academic year, is now more in line with those
found in China and even the USA.
While there are nine years of compulsory schooling in Hong Kong, six in primary school and three in junior seco
Kong government has recently moved to make it easier and more likely that the majority of students will receive
removal of fees and one series of public exams in senior secondary school is a move which will make a full twelv
much more accessible option for a great number of students.
There has always been schooling beyond the years of
compulsory education. The majority of students attend 3
years of kindergarten (K1 K3) before attending primary
school. Under the new secondary system, the three years of
junior secondary is followed by three years of senior
secondary. This leads to the HKDSE (Hong Kong Diploma
of Secondary Education) exams. Students gain entry to a
range of post-secondary, vocational and tertiary courses
offered by a variety of institutions based on the results of
the HKDSE. The majority of university courses offered by
Hong Kong universities will also undergo a change in
structure for students graduating with the HKDSE. Many
courses will become 4 year programmes, partly in response
to the change from four years to three years in the senior
secondary years.

The schools provided by the Hong Kong Education Department (EDB Education Bureau) can be divided into t
government schools; subsidized schools, which are usually administered by charitable bodies; and private school
organizations where admission is more often decided by academic merit (schools such as DBC and DGS are exam
schools).

Aside from the government system, there are private independent schools. The style of education, the language(s
international curricula offered by these schools appeal to both expatriate and local parents. Many of these school
charge higher (and in many cases, much higher) tuition fees than local schools.

In the past, the local education system has been very exam-orientated. However, in recent years there have been s
exams ad more continuous and formative assessment. Schools usually have a strict discipline code and virtually
uniform.

Primary schools used to be separated into morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) schools as a method of dealing with
space and the large student numbers. However, with changing demographics and a falling birth rate, most primar
become whole-day schools.

While most schools are co-ed, there are a number of well-known schools with good reputations which are single-

Kindergartens
Since 1997, there have been changes to a lot of kindergartens as a way of professionalizing them. Most of the ch
minimum teaching qualifications for both kindergarten teaching staff and principals. As the government has also
the importance of early childhood education, the curriculum in kindergarten has now been designed to provide a
students.

Primary Education
The majority of local Primary schools in Hong Kong are Chinese medium of instruction and the primary curricul
subjects including Social Studies, Science, Chinese, English, Mathematics, Music, Arts and Physical Education.

Students are allocated to Secondary schools through their performance in three examinations taken in Primary 5
extremely competitive and parents naturally have a strong preference for their child to be allocated to a top or hig
Recently, primary school numbers have been shrinking, causing the closure of some schools and resulting in the
redundancies.

Class numbers are traditionally much higher in Hong Kong than they are in Western countries. An average class
secondary school could have over 35 students and it can be as many as 45. The shrinking enrollments have seen a
smaller class sizes but so far the numbers of students in a class have not been greatly reduced.

Secondary Education
The first year of secondary school, known as Form or Secondary One, follows six years of primary education. F
compulsory attendance and in junior secondary, the learning is broader, without students choosing specific study

The majority of local secondary schools became Chinese medium of instruction (CMI) after the Handover in 199
many have gone back to an English medium of instruction (EMI). In 2013, 112 out of 400 secondary schools are

Students in Forms 4-6 now prepare for the HKDSE, the examinations for which are held at the end of Form 6. Th
English, Mathematics, Chinese and Liberal Studies. Students then choose two or three elective subjects from a ch
some applied learning subjects, modeled on the idea of the BTEC and six other modern foreign languages which
students choices.

International school students do not take local public examinations. Once, the UK GCSE/A-levels were popular
Kongs international schools but now the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a much more common programme a
country-specific international schools teach a syllabus from their own country. Students also might take the SAT

entry to an overseas university.

Several direct-subsidy local schools with a good reputation now also offer the IB or the UK GCSE/A-levels. On
might be the governments new 3+3+4 curriculum, as parents are concerned how the HKDSE will be viewed if s
gain tertiary entrance abroad.

Tertiary Education
Tertiary education is important in Hong Kong. There are eight universities and several other tertiary institutions w
All the tertiary institutions offer a range of programmes including undergraduate and post-graduate degrees, as w
and Higher Diplomas.

The number of places available for undergraduate degrees is substantially less than the number of students who a
requirements for general admission to university. From the beginning of the academic year in 2012, many course
years, in line with the governments policy of 3 + 3 + 4 (three years of junior secondary, followed by three years
years of university). For students who fail to gain entrance to a degree programme, studying an Associate degree
which may articulate with a degree course later on, is a popular option. It is also sometimes possible to gain a cou
successfully completed Higher diploma or Associate degree into an overseas degree programme with some credi

Of the Hong Kong universities, The University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have th
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has been developing a strong name in the areas of Technology

In terms of post-graduate study, the trend for local Hong Kong people is to complete a post-graduate qualification
graduate students at local universities, a significant number of them come from Mainland China.

Adult Education
Life-long learning has become a popular catch cry from the government and certainly taking a course seems to b
the adult population. The majority of the universities have schools which offer non-degree, adult learning courses
other institutions as well, offering professional, general education and interest courses. Language courses, especi
Japanese are common, and many adults study as a means of improving their prospects in the employment market
established a scheme which enables adult learners to apply for course fee reimbursement for approved courses. T
University of Hong Kong, run along similar lines to the UK one, which gives many people opportunities to study
Education in Hong Kong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Education in Hong Kong

Education Bureau
Social Welfare Department
Secretary for
Education
Director of Social
Welfare

Eddie Ng
Patrick Nip

National education budget (2012/13)

Budget

$39,420 per capita

General details

Primary languages

English and Cantonese

Chinese

System type

National

9-year Compulsory
Education

September 1978[1]:Chapter 1,
Paragraph 1.1

Literacy (2010)
Total

94.6%[2]

Male

N/A

Female

N/A
Enrollment

Total

N/A

Primary

N/A

Secondary

N/A

Post secondary

N/A
Attainment

Secondary diploma

N/A

Post-secondary
diploma

N/A

Education in Hong Kong

Education Bureau

Exam Assessment Authority

Pre-school education

Primary education
HKAAT

Secondary education
HKHLE
HKCEE
HKALE (A-Level)
334 Scheme
HKDSE
JUPAS (EAS Subsystem)

Higher education

English Schools Foundation

University Grants Committee

Grant Schools Council

Heung Shing

Other Hong Kong topics

History
Geography
Politics
Economy
Culture
Hong Kong portal

V
T
E

Education in Hong Kong is largely modelled on that of the United Kingdom, particularly
the English system. It is overseen by the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department.
Small village Chinese schools were observed by the British missionaries when they arrived circa
1843.[3] Anthony Sweeting believes those small village schools existed in Stanley, Shek Pai
Wan, Heung Kong Tsai and Wong Nai Chong on Hong Kong Island, although proof is no longer
available.[4]

One of the earliest schools with reliable records was Li Ying Collegeestablished in 1075 in
present day New Territories.[5] By 1860 Hong Kong had 20 village schools. Chinese who were
wealthy did not educate their children in Hong Kong, instead they sent them to major Chinese
cities, such as Canton, for traditional Chinese education.[5] The changes came with the arrival of
theBritish in 1841.
At first Hong Kong's education came from Protestant and Catholic missionarieswho provided
social services. Italian missionaries began to provide boy-only education to British and Chinese
youth in 1843.[6] By 1861 Frederick Stewartwould become "The Founder of Hong Kong
Education" for integrating a modern western-style education model into the Colonial Hong
Kong school system.[7] One of the much contested debate was whether schools should
offer Vernacular education, teaching in Chinese at all.[4] Education was considered a luxury for
the elite and the rich. The first school to open the floodgate of western medical practice to the Far
East was the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. The London Missionary Society and
Sir James Cantlie started the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1887 (although, the
'for Chinese' was later dropped from the name).[8] In addition, the London Missionary
Society founded Ying Wa Girls' School in 1900. Belilios Public School was a girls' secondary
school founded in 1890 the first government school in Hong Kong that provided bilingual
education in English and Chinese. The push for Chinese education in a British system did not
begin until the rise of social awareness of the Chinese community following the 1919May Fourth
Movement and 1934 New Life Movement in China.[4][5] Educating the poor did not become a
priority until they accounted for the majority of the population. Financial issues were addressed
in the 1970s.[9] A small group of South Asian Hong Kongers marched through Central demanding
more schooling in the English language on 3 June 2007.[10] In the 2013/14 school year, there are
569 primary schools, 514 secondary day schools and 61 special schools.[11]
Contents
[hide]

1 Pre-school education

2 Primary and secondary education

o

2.1 School years

2.2 Primary education

2.3 Secondary education

2.4 Further education

2.5 Alternative education options

3 Tertiary and Higher education

4 Adult education

5 Education for immigrant and non-Chinese-speaking children

6 International education

7 Types of schools

8 History
o

8.1 Before the 1960s

8.2 From the 1960s to 1971

8.3 From 1971 to the 1980s

8.4 From the 1980s to the 2000s

8.5 From 2012

9 Class size

10 Discipline

11 Criticisms
o

11.1 Spoon feeding

11.2 Education reform

12 See also

13 References

14 External links
Pre-school education[edit]
Pre-school education in Hong Kong is not free and fees are payable by pupils' parents. However,
parents whose children have the right of abode in Hong Kong can pay for part of their fees with a
voucher from the government under the Preprimary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS). In
2013, the amount of subsidy under the PEVS is $16,800.

Primary and secondary education[edit]

Every child in Hong Kong, without any reasonable excuse,[12]:Section 74, (1) is required by law to
attend a primary school after the child has attained the age of 6 years.[12]:Section 3, "primary education" It is
also required to attend a secondary school after primary education and is completed before he
attains the age of 19 years.[12]:Section 3, "secondary education" However, child who has completed Form 3 of
secondary education and whose parent can produce evidence to the satisfaction of the Permanent
Secretary for Education, shall not apply.[12]:Section 74, (3) (c) (i) Education in the public sector is free.
School years[edit]
Age on
birthd
ay in
school
year

Year

Curriculum Stages

Schools

N/A

3
N/A

Kindergart
en

Pre-school Education

Nursery School

Primary 1

Primary 2

Primary 3

Primary 4

10

Primary 5

Primary Education

Primary School
or Junior School

Middle
School

11

Primary 6

12

Secondary
1

13

14

15

16

17

Seconda
Secondary
ry
2
Educati
Secondary
on
Education
Secondary
3

Secondary
4
Diplom
a of
Seconda
Internation
ry
al
Secondary Educati
Baccalaure
on
6
ate
{HKDSE}
Secondary
5

/Lower
Sixth

18

Local
undergradu
ate
programme

Secondary
Education

Secondar
y
School,Si
xth Form
College,
GCSE / iGCSE or High ESFSecond
School ary School

A
levels /Internati
onal
Baccalaureate
N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Primary education[edit]
Children receive primary education usually from the age of 6 until 12. Six subjects are studied,
including English, Chinese, mathematics, General Studies, music, visual arts and physical

education. At schools with religious affiliations, religious education or bible studies may be
studied as well.
Secondary education[edit]
Secondary education is separated into junior and senior years. In junior years, the curriculum is a
broad one where history, geography and science are studied alongside subjects that have already
been studied at primary schools. In senior years, this becomes more selective and students have a
choice over what and how much is to be studied. Almost all schools butPLK Vicwood KT Chong
Sixth Form College and its feeder junior secondary college have both sessions.[13]
Further education[edit]
Commerce stream in secondary schools are considered vocational in nature. Students in the
Commerce stream would usually enter the workplace to gain practical work experience by this
point. Further education pursuit in Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education or universities
abroad are common. The Manpower Development Committee (MDC) advices the government
on co-ordination, regulation and promotion of the sector. In addition, the Vocational Training
Council (VTC) ensures the level of standard is met through the "Apprentice Ordinance". The
VTC also operate three skills-centres for people with disabilities. secondary schools in Hong
Kong are going to be cut down to only two years due to the switch in the government.
Alternative education options[edit]
International institutions provide both primary and secondary education in Hong Kong.
International institutions like schools within the English Schools Foundation, Li Po Chun United
World College, Hong Kong International School, Chinese International School, Victoria
Shanghai Academy German Swiss International School, Canadian International School,French
International School and Yew Chung International School, Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau
School, Singapore International School teach with English as the primary language, with some
sections bilingual in German, French and Chinese. International school students rarely take Hong
Kong public exams. British students take GCSE, IGCSE and A-levels. US students take APs.
Increasingly, international schools follow the International Baccalaureate (IBDP) program, and
enter universities through non-JUPAS direct entry. International students apply on a per school
basis, whereas Hong Kong local students submit 1 application for multiple local universities as a
JUPAS applicant.

Tertiary and Higher education[edit]

University of Hong Kong.

Main article: Higher education in Hong Kong
Higher education remains exclusive in Hong Kong. Fewer than 20,000 students are offered
places funded by the government every year, although this number has more than doubled over
the last three decades.
As a result, many continue their studies abroad. The following is some of the destinations that
students in Hong Kong go to for tertiary education and their respective numbers.[6]

Country

1975

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1998

2000

Hong Kong

11,575 21,538 25,995 29,591 34,556 42,721 52,494 59,528 59,408

Australia

572

1,658

1,687

1,889

3,864

US

11,930 9,000

9,720

9,160

12,630 14,018 12,940 8,730

7,545

UK

4,434

6,500

6,935

7,300

7,700

7,600

7,400

5,450

5,200

Canada

6,644

7,723

6,730

5,840

6,372

6,600

6,589

5,000

5,000

Taiwan

2,626

3,816

3,854

3,850

3,633

3,450

2,663

1,487

1,171

6,707

11,932 17,135 20,739

Adult education[edit]
Adult education is popular, since it gives middle-aged adults a chance to obtain a tertiary degree.
The concept was not common several decades ago. The EMB has commissioned two non-profit
school operators to provide evening courses. Both operators have set up fee remission schemes
to help the adult learners in need of financial assistance. Adult education courses also provide
Vocational Training Council through various universities and private institutions. The Open
University of Hong Kong is one establishment for mature students. Several secondary schools
also operate adult education sessions, the first being Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Secondary
School, while PLK Vicwood KT Chong Sixth Form Collegewent further so as to offer associate
degree and joint-degree programmes.
Education for immigrant and non-Chinese-speaking children[edit]
The Education Bureau provides education services for immigrant children from Mainland
China and other countries, as well as non-Chinese-speaking Hong Kong children. Free
"Induction Programmes" of up to 60 hours have been offered to NAC by non-government
organisations. The EMB also provides a 6-month full-time "Initiation Programme" incorporating
both academic and non-academic support services, for NAC before they are formally placed into
mainstream schools. Hayes Tang (2002) provided a good sociology of education thesis on
the NACs' adaptation and school performance
International education[edit]
As of January 2015, the International Schools Consultancy (ISC)[14] listed Hong Kong as having
175 international schools.[15] ISC defines an 'international school' in the following terms "ISC
includes an international school if the school delivers a curriculum to any combination of preschool, primary or secondary students, wholly or partly in English outside an English-speaking
country, or if a school in a country where English is one of the official languages, offers an
English-medium curriculum other than the countrys national curriculum and is international in
its orientation."[16] This definition is used by publications including The Economist.[17]
Types of schools[edit]
Type

Government
schools

Category

Description

Comprehensiv
Run by the government.
e

Most common, run by charitable and religious (Christian,

Subsidize Comprehensiv
Buddhist, Taoist,TWGHs and others) organisations with
d schools e
government funding.
Aided
school
s
Subsidised

Schools run by charitable or religious organisations with

government funding according to the now defunct Grant
Code. Currently receiving government aid in accordance
with the Codes of Aid [3], which also apply for the
Subsidized schools.

Direct Subsidy
Scheme(DSS)
schools

Private

Run by various non-government organisations. HKSAR

Government has encouraged non-government primary and
secondary schools which have attained a sufficiently high
educational standard to join the DSS by providing
subsidies to enhance the quality of private school education
since 1991/92 school year. Under the scheme, schools are
free to decide on their curriculum, fees and entrance
requirements.

Caput schools

Subsidised

Subsidies are provided according to the number of pupils

admitted.

Private

Run by various private organisations, and mainly accept

local Chinese children. Admissions are based more on
academic merit than on financial ability, they teach in both
English and in Cantonese.

Private
international
schools

Private

Provide an alternative to the mainstream education, in

exchange for much higher tuition fees although it is
recently deemed as high-pressure as local mainstream
education. The schools teach streams in both English, and
in the language of its sponsoring nation e.g. French,
German, Japanese etc.

English Schools

Subsidised

Provide an alternative to the high-pressured mainstream

Grant
schools

Private schools

education. However the tuition fees are lower than many

other international schools as many ESF schools
enjoy subvention by the Hong Kong Government to
educate English-speaking children who cannot access the
local system.

Foundation

History[edit]
Following the introduction of the comprehensive system in the 1960s in the UK, children in
Hong Kong transformed from the old education system to the new.[9][18]
Before the 1960s[edit]
Length

Education type

4 years

Secondary-middle school

3 + 2 years

Secondary-high school

Type

From the 1960s to 1971[edit]

Length

Education type

6 years

Primary school

5 + 2 years

Secondary school

Type

From 1971 to the 1980s[edit]

Length

Education type

6 years

Primary education

3 years

Secondary education

Type

compulsory government funded as of

September 1971[1] :Chapter 3, Paragraph 3.4

compulsory government funded as of

September 1978[1]

:Chapter 1, Paragraph 1.1

2 + 2 years

Secondary school

selective

From the 1980s to the 2000s[edit]

Length

Education type

Additional
names

Type

School year

3 years

Kindergarten

6 years

Primary education

3 years

Secondary education

2 years

Senior Secondary
(leads to HKCEE)

Form 4, and 5

selective

Matriculation Course
(leads to HKALE)

Form 6 (Lower
Sixth Form)
Form 7 (Upper
Sixth Form)

Sept July
selective,
(Form 6), Sept
Specialise
performanc

d
e based
February/Marc
h (Form 7)

2 years

voluntary

Focus

General

Sept June

Primary 1 to 6

compulsory General

Sept July

Form 1 to 3

compulsory General

Sept July

Tertiary education
Depend
(leads
s on
to bachelors, masters and
subject
other academic degrees)

selective

Sept July
Specialise
(Form 4),Sept
d
April (Form 5)

Specialise
Varies
d

From 2012[edit]
Length

Education type

Additional
names

Type

Focus

School
year

voluntary

General

Sept
June

compulsory

General

Sept
July

Junior Secondary
Junior Secondary education 1 to 3 (Form 1 to compulsory
3)

General

Sept
July

Senior Secondary Education

Senior Secondary
(leads to Hong Kong
1 to 3 (Form 4 to selective
Diploma of Secondary
6)
Education)

Sept
July
(Senior
Secondar
Specialise y 1
d
2),Aug
Feb
(Senior
Secondar
y 3)

3 years

Kindergarten

6 years

Primary education

3 years

3 years

Tertiary education
Depend
(leads
s on
to bachelors, masters and
subject
other academic degrees)

Primary 1 to 6

selective

Specialise
Varies
d

Class size[edit]
Many primary schools in Hong Kong offer half-day schooling, splitting by AM and PM to
handle the demand. The two sessions are usually treated as separate school entities with two
different headmasters. To make up for the time of shortened half days, students are sometimes
required to attend alternate Saturdays. Most primary schools are gradually moving to full school
day systems as government policy aims to phase out half-day schooling over time as resource
permits.

Due to the drop in birth rate in recent years, many primary schools were forced to cut classes, cut
teachers and even close down. There have been debates that one should seize the opportunity to
promote small class teaching. Doing so could mitigate the pressure of teachers, class and school
reductions, on top of improving ratio of students to teachers.
Discipline[edit]
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (August 2013)
Good behaviour has always been emphasised in Hong Kong, to the point that it is sometimes
said to hinder pupils' development. Misbehavior is recorded and shown on school reports.
Criticisms[edit]
Spoon feeding[edit]
Education in Hong Kong has often been described as 'spoon fed'. Cram schools in Hong
Kong have also become a popular standard in parallel to regular education.
Education reform[edit]
With the advent of education reform there is a greater emphasis on group projects, open-ended
assignments on top of traditional homework. The current workload of a primary student in Hong
Kong includes approximately two hours of schoolwork nightly. Along with extra-curricular
activities, Hong Kong's education has become synonymous for leaning towards quantity. As
early as March 1987, education advisory inspectors became concerned with the excessive
amounts of "mechanical work and meaningless homework".[19] In particular, history education
has been recognised as ineffective, with critics claiming that the curriculum is not capable of
delivering a sense of identity. Not only that, students have to memorise the whole history texts,
thereby indicating that rote-learning has greater priority than absorbing and understanding
material.[19]
Some have criticised the system for having too narrow of a stream focus, too early
on. Legco Member Alan Leong of the pointed out in a guest lecture at the Chinese University of
Hong Kong that secondary level science students are incapable of participating in meaningful
discussions on history, arts, or literature. Vice versa journalists of arts stream background are
incapable of accurately discussing technological issues. The narrow focus of education in Hong
Kong has been a concern.

The pervasive perception from observers in overseas education institutions generally is that a
typical Hong Kong student compared with other students, even against other students in the Asia
region, lacks systematic decision-making confidence and relies on repetition and undeveloped
answers. This deviates from the common benchmark of intellect where value propositions are
generated from innovation and distinctive solutions, and this has led to much schism in the
debate of educational direction of Hong Kong, where the populace makes no such aspiration for
intellect but seek constant reaffirmation of the value of myriad certificates obtained through
pedagogy throughout their working lives. The desperation to seek standing in life through
education is further highlighted by severe ironies such as:
1) Senior education officials often acclaim the excellence of Hong Kong education, yet few if
any will let their children matriculate locally, preferring overseas universities instead.
2) A certificate driven society that takes pride in its academic excellence is unable to devise a
suitable benchmark of excellence itself, with a low public approval of the local educational
system, relies on certification from outside Hong Kong.