Views on the NAS and Related Issues

     A Hong Kong delegation paid an official visit to this city recently.  At a luncheon meeting, the chief delegate promoted the New Academic Structure (NAS) and the international recognition of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE).  She also encouraged more education exchanges between Hong Kong and this country to develop global outlook of Hong Kong students. Furthermore, she briefed the participants how all Hong Kong students would be better prepared for whole-person development and life-long learning to meet their individual needs and to contribute to the globalized world.

     After the lunch, the participants were requested by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office to provide the delegation with their feedback on the chief delegate’s briefing.  The following is the author’s views on the NAS and related issues.

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    The New Academic Structure (NAS) of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) appear to be more in resonance with the education systems of the academically developed countries, so the said Diploma would be more readily recognized by the education institutions of these countries.  In addition to academic structure, however, the determinants of recognition should include the quality of the programs, the competence of the teaching staffs, and the academic performance of the students.

    Encouraging more education exchanges between Hong Kong and the academically developed countries could help expand the global outlook of Hong Kong students directly and enhance the international recognition of the HKDSE indirectly.  As teaching staffs are the major knowledge transmitting agent, the effect of expanding Hong Kong students’ global outlook would be more prominent if the teaching staffs also join the education exchange programs.  To secure a comprehensive effect, these programs should be offered to the students and teaching staffs of universities and secondary schools.  Moreover, the infusion of Hong Kong born teaching staffs who have received education and who have work experience in academically developed countries could be a more cost-effective way to achieve the afore-mentioned goals.

    Student-oriented education programs and interactive teaching methods among other approaches are proved to be effective in developing students’ life-long learning attitudes and skills, as well as meeting their individual needs.  The involvement of parents of the students and provision of positive learning environments at school, home and community can strengthen the students’ motivation and persistence in learning.  Furthermore, creative non-academic or practicality-oriented programs conducted by appropriately trained staffs complement to regular academic programs in strengthening students’ whole-person development.

    As curricula are an important component in formal education, continual review can surely shed light on curriculum improvement.  One of the effective approaches to evaluate education and training curricula is the “adequacy-importance analysis”.  Detailed discussion of this approach can be found in the following references:

Ma, A. (2005).  Importance and adequacy of practice competencies for care professionals in aging-related fields: Chinese administrator’s perspective.  Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 26(2), 17-34.

Ma, A. (2007).    Evaluating the curricula for entry-level care professionals in aging-related fields.  Educational Gerontology, 33(10), 881-896.

    It is evident that continual assessment with various instruments (e.g., tests, mini projects, and individual or group presentations) is more effective in measuring student performance and reviewing teaching methods than conventional one-shot assessment.