Secondary School Service-Learning

Our team at PolyU has been running a program to equip secondary school teachers to teach Service-Learning, for several years.  As part of the program, we have set up a number of projects, in which secondary school teachers practice supervising secondary school students in SL projects. In the past summer, two projects were run in Hong Kong, one on collecting and writing life stories for the elderly, and another on teaching STEM to primary school students.  A third took 40 teachers and students to install solar panels in villages in Rwanda, in parallel with the PolyU teams.  

On this past, Saturday, the secondary school students and teachers presented their experiences and learnings.  What struck me the most are the students’ excitement in learning about Rwanda, satisfaction in overcoming the challenges, eagerness in sharing their experiences, and pride in doing such a good job.  In Hong Kong as well as in Rwanda. 

The teachers, likewise, seem very happy in the experience.  They seem to have re-discovered their original motivation for wanting to be a teacher.   One described the experience as: “not relaxing, but re-charging”.  It is very gratifying that the teachers find the experience enjoyable and useful.  We are hoping that they will continue to create existing projects for their students.  

I cannot help but think.  Hong Kong students have long been said to be: examination-driven, key word memorising, passive, dis-engaged, not knowing what they are interested in, without passion in learning.   Of course, that is not their fault.  But that of the designers and perpetuators of the education system. 

However, the experience and performance of these students demonstrate that they can also be energetic, eager, creative, and engaged.  Well designed Service-Learning is one way to achieve that.  There are, of course, other ways.  It is up to us, the administrators, the government, and the teachers to provide them with the opportunities and the environment to be like that.  Are we willing?  Can our society afford not to?