Values analysis of Hong Kong's educational reform proposals

Education embodies a society’s vision and hope for the future. The development of Hong Kong is closely related to her development in education. To meet these challenges, Hong Kong has to reform her education system so as to prepare her younger generation for the new millennium. Embedded in the reform proposals are the values of the education planners and the general public – what they perceive are important and good for Hong Kong. This article analyzes the value orientations behind Hong Kong’s reform proposals so as to throw light to the real significance of these reforms. This article begins by summarizing the values of education from different perspectives and from both the Western and Chinese viewpoints. Then the background to Hong Kong’s education reform is introduced by tracing the changing education scene in Hong Kong since the postwar period, thereby highlighting the major education issues that have a deep-seated effect on out education development. An analysis of the values embedded in the reform document is then undertaken, taking into consideration both the social and economic changes in Hong Kong. In the concluding section, the tensions resulting from the paradigm shift are highlighted. It is believed that the success of the education reform depends on how a consensus about the values in education can be reached. Copyright © 2002 Rowman & Littlefield Education.