Education reform and policy change in Hong Kong: A critique of the post-colonial legacy

This article examines Hong Kong’s failure to implement educational reforms effectively, and suggests that the good ship Hong Kong has floundered on an educational iceberg. The visible segment of this iceberg comprises the discourse of imported reforms. The surrounding fog emanates from Hong Kong’s colonial and post-colonial political systems, both with severe legitimacy deficits. Issues of cultural compatibility constitute the iceberg’s more stable, threatening and concealed mass. The article concludes that reform policy has been severely holed at the critical ‘waterline’ level of classroom practice. A gradual warming of the professional climate may, however, eventually contribute to the melting of the iceberg. Copyright © 2003 James Nicholas Publishers.