Change of value orientations in the junior secondary economic and public affairs (EPA) curriculum in Hong Kong

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pui-ching, Caroline Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Junior Secondary

Economic and Public Affairs: An Education for Citizenship in Hong Kong

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-104
Author(s):  
Pui-Kai Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
Political Education ◽  
Joint Declaration ◽  
Junior Secondary ◽  
Hong Kong Students ◽  
Secondary Classes ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Integrated Study

Economic and Public Affairs (EPA) has been an integrated study of social, economic and political education for the junior secondary classes in Hong Kong since 1984, the year in which the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong was signed. The Hong Kong students could, from then onwards have an opportunity to receive an education for citizenship, in preparation for the post-Joint-Declaration era from 1984 till the end of June, 1997. The scope of content in the three-year curriculum was analysed to have covered mainly the aspect of social education, while that for economic and political education was surprisingly insufficient, if a balanced ‘education for citizenship’ was intended. A revised syllabus with a set of new and re-arranged topics in social, economic and political education was proposed, to cater for the needs of Hong Kong students from 1996 to the beginning years of the new Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). It is extremely important and urgent for Hong Kong teachers to commit themselves more actively than at any other time in the Hong Kong history since 1841, to facilitate an education for citizenship in schools.

Social Ethos and the Teaching of Politics in Post-1997 Hong Kong: A Teachers' Account

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Wai Wa Yuen
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Public Affairs ◽  
The Other ◽  
Public Examination ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Political Subject ◽  
Self Rule ◽  
The One ◽  
Social Ethos

Government and Public Affairs (GPA), a political subject with public examinations, was founded in the mid-1980s. It was part of the attempt to prepare Hong Kong people for the development of representative government, which would be needed for self-rule after reunification with China in 1997. This article reports GPA teachers' perceptions of the prevailing social ethos after the change of sovereignty. The teachers explain how they will teach politics amidst an increasingly difficult social environment, marked by conservatism and promotion of nationalistic sentiment on the one hand and by political divisions and sensitivity towards political teaching on the other. The teachers' top priority becomes that of good public examination results and, partly because of this, a highly teacher-centred mode of teaching is commonly adopted. Teachers are aware of the risk of indoctrination in political teaching. However, this is only considered a problem relating to the government's attempt to influence people's minds and the teachers never think of themselves as possible indoctrinators. Besides, many of them believe that they should share their beliefs with students. Though the teachers in general support democracy, paradoxically, excessive commitment to the belief is found in some cases to bring forth pedagogies of an authoritative nature.

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