EyE on U | Dennis Yuen: HK secondary education needs to be rooted in Chinese culture with global perspective

As the saying goes, "It takes ten years to nurture a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a talent." According to the Hong Kong Education Bureau, secondary education aims to enable students "to enable them to develop knowledge, positive values and attitudes as well as generic skills and become responsible citizens, and to prepare them for further studies or work to make contributions to Hong Kong and the nation." As a bridge between children and university education, secondary education plays an important role in fostering both virtue and talent.

In this age, approaches to education are constantly evolving. Although the secondary education system in HK is rather mature, it is still not perfect. HK's previous secondary education reform aims to improve students' overall quality, enhance their competitiveness and nurture new generations of talents, but it has encountered difficulties in implementation. Educators have pointed out that some of the projects originally set up are gradually degenerating into a "formality" due to the lack of practical effects and reasonable quantification methods.

In today's program, we have invited Dennis Yuen, Principal of St. Paul's College. The College was a renowned local school officially established in 1851. Although small in scale, it was founded with a philosophy and style that made it the cradle of modern Chinese thought from 1840 to 1880. As the twelfth principal of the College, Mr. Yuen, who has served the college for over 30 years, has a deep understanding and knowledge of secondary education in HK.

What difficulties did St. Paul's College encounter in its long history? How can the College build on its strengths in today's HK education system? In the face of a globalizing world, what advantages do HK students have over students from other regions? What is the focus of the current secondary education system in HK? Watch the video for more information.