Legacy of British colonial early childhood education

This article examines early childhood education in Hong Kong from three perspectives: historical, socio-economic, and educational development. Each perspective highlights different issues and problems in the development of early childhood education. The historical perspective identifies some major events and their influence on the formulation of educational policies particularly at pre-school level. The social-economic perspective considers education as the means to achieve economic development, which is why the amount of resources allocated is closely linked with the future needs of the economy; therefore preschool education has long been neglected in Hong Kong. The educational development perspective reflects the Hong Kong government's expectations for education, and the review of the educational policies helps understand the development of pre-school education. Analysis of some historical background and current trends of early childhood education development, highlight possible future developments of early childhood education in Hong Kong, particularly after the reunification with her motherland, China, in 1997. Copyright © 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.