Education reform and the implementation of games curriculum in Hong Kong towards the 21st century

In Hong Kong, the Education Commission has presented in 2000 a series of recommendations for reforming the education system. The focus of this paper is on the curriculum reform from which Physical Education (PE) is being affected in the education reform exercise. Highlighted in the analysis is the relationship between the education reform and a critical component of PE, games activities, which play a heavy weighting in the PE curriculum. More importantly, in the last decade, an innovative games teaching approach, Teaching Games for understanding (TGFU), was introduced in Hong Kong and has created a strong impact on Hong Kong PE teachers. The purpose of this paper is to review to what extend this new approach can echo the education reform towards the 21st century. The analysis reveals that the philosophy of TGFU is in line with the new curriculum reform and does contribute greatly to the development of studentsí cognitive experience, particularly problem-solving and decision-making skills as well as enjoyment from which they are highlighted by the Education Commission as generic skills, and value and attitudes components. Copyright © 2004 Xunta de Galicia.