Don't lose sight of the goal when it comes to education reform

A preliminary review of curriculum reform, which is one of the most important instruments to implement education reform, was completed recently.

There is a long list of achievements to date: the new 334 academic structure, a new exam for secondary graduates, new examinable subjects, a whole array of curriculum guides and syllabuses, overseas recognition of the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination, a scheme for other learning experience (OLE) for students in school and the smooth transition of university education to a four-year mode. We can, and should, celebrate all of them.

While mid-course reviews are necessary, more should be done to strengthen the link between the reform measures and the original vision of the reform. We must not lose sight of the kind of ideal graduate we strived to nurture when we first set out on the reform journey.

We need to stop and ask: do our formal curriculum and informal or hidden curriculum, which is as significant as the former and embraces all aspects of school life, produce desirable qualities in our graduates? Are their academic standards maintained or even raised, have their critical thinking, independent study, communication, problem-solving, creativity and team skills - to name a few - been nurtured, and are their moral character, civic mindedness and sense of national identity well formed?

Do educational personnel see how the vision and the curriculum measures are linked and how the link can be practically strengthened?

It may be time to start collecting data on how good the link is, as well as living examples of good practice of alignment so that curriculum reform will not be just a case of much ado about nothing. What worries me is that curriculum reform to date has a structure but no living spirit.

A closer look at the situation on the ground may reveal that school education in general is as exam-oriented as ever, rote learning remains the predominant mode, school life is still devoid of meaningful other-learning experiences for students, lecturing and drilling are still the main modes of teaching and public exam results and university admissions remain the overarching goal.