Education in Hong Kong tells the students how they should think. The curriculum and the text books tell the students what thoughts they should think. They tell the teachers there is no need to think for themselves, just read from the text and ask the students to regurgitate. Is that being responsible? Of course not. No wonder many products (students) of the education system are not capable of independent thinking. They are trained to “just toe the line; don’t think”.
The education system trains students to take examinations. The students who can provide the expected answers in public examinations get the best results. It does not encourage students to be curious, to experiment, to try out new ideas. That is considered too dangerous. No wonder many Hong Kong students are good at following orders but not in creating exciting new ones. Is that going to result in a productive population? No. Is it good for the future of Hong Kong? No. Is that being responsible? No.
In the universities, professors are generally rewarded for publishing high quality research papers, not for teaching well. No wonder many professors are not interested in putting their time and effort in teaching large classes or undergraduate students. They are interested in only teaching smart research students who can help them do research and publish papers. But aren’t universities being funded with public money to educate? If some professors are only interested in doing research but not in teaching, don’t they belong more to research institutes rather than universities? If universities are paid to teach but actually only wants to do research only, is that being responsible? No.
So the education system aims, ostensibly, to educate students to be responsible citizens; but it itself is not being responsible to the students, nor to society.
Make education responsible.
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