Opinion | As Hong Kong begins a hopeful new chapter, an overhaul of the education system is long overdue
- Instead of channelling students into schools classified into bands based on academic performance, specialist secondary schools focusing on specific skills should be set up
- Schools should not be academic satellites floating silently at the edge of society, but an integral part of the community
International agencies are calling for major changes in global education systems. The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has highlighted the need to rethink the role of schools, teachers and curriculums, while stressing the importance of lifelong education.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has called for individual and societal well-being to be at the centre of schooling, arguing that the role of education is to help students develop the agency needed to navigate their own futures.
Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation has advocated equity in access to education and opportunities across the region.
Of course, Hong Kong should focus on its own local context, but these arguments provide a starting point.
