Inequity without excellence? The need for educational reform in Hong Kong

In the World Declaration on Education for All, Jomtien, 1990, Article 3 states that no groups of children should “suffer any discrimination in access to learning opportunities”. Hong Kong is now considering a number of major and wide ranging reforms to education which will move closer to this goal. These include substantial reforms to the curriculum, removal of most examinations and the gradual removal of banding by ability. This paper focuses on ability banding, discusses the main issues and shares some data from an ongoing study on equity and excellence in Hong Kong schools. Copyright © 2000 Chulalongkorn University.