Globalization and Education

The growing impact of globalization has affected educational development in many parts of the globe. In order to maintain national competitiveness in the global marketplace, governments across the world have started to review their education systems and introduce different reform initiatives in education in order to enhance the global capacity of their citizens. This book adopts the wider perspective of globalization in order to examine and critically reflect upon the origin, evolution and development of the Quality Education Movement in Hong Kong. It pays particular attention to how Hong Kong’s education has been affected by the global trend to economic rationalism and managerialism. More specifically, the major aim of this book is to examine and analyse the most recent reform measures adopted by the HKSAR in its quest for quality education in Hong Kong.

This book is divided into four parts. Part One provides the theoretical/conceptual framework and historical context for the book. Part Two focuses on approaches to quality education. Part Three focuses on policy change and education reforms that are operationalized in school and higher education institutions. Part Four is a reflection and conclusion. The editors discuss the impacts and the costs of managerialism in the education sector, and suggest the kind of policy implications it might have when adopting a managerial approach in education.

Joshua Ka-ho Mok is an associate professor in the Department of Public and Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong. David Kin-keung Chan is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong.

“This work demonstrates very high standards of scholarship, both in their grasp of the literature of globalization and its relevance for the Hong Kong education policy scene, and in the meticulous attention to detail shown in the historical parts of the volume” — Professor Ruth Hayhoe, Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Member of the Education Commission

“This book is a stimulating and provocative collection of essays which will be of interest to a wide readership: education policy makers, practitioners and students will read the book with profit.” —Professor Paul Wilding, Emeritus Professor, University of Manchester, United Kingdom