Education Reform and the Quest for Excellence

This book investigates and analyses critical issues in education reform and discusses possible pitfalls in the current global drive to promote excellence. Instead of documenting the successes and frustrations encountered by education reformers in specific jurisdictions, this book aims to offer directions for education reformers, and sets out to be prescriptive rather than descriptive. While the cases covered here are focused on Hong Kong, they are no less useful in throwing light upon the direction of education reform all over the world.

The first section of the volume, “Conceptual Framework”, provides the theoretical underpinnings for the design and implementation of education reform. The next two sections, “Reform of Tertiary Education” and “Experiments, Dilemmas, and Risks in Secondary Schools” look at reform at the tertiary and secondary levels in greater detail. The final section, “Ideals vs. Reality: the Interplay of Diverse Interests and Diverse Perceptions”, looks at the conflicting goals and perceptions of different “stakeholders”, with a concluding chapter that summarizes the main lessons to be learnt.

This book will be of interest to scholars, educators, parents, policymakers, politicians, and all who are concerned about our younger generation and their future.

Lok Sang Ho is a professor in the Department of Economics and Director of the Centre for Public Policy Studies at Lingnan University. His research interests encompass education, labour markets, social security, health policy, housing policy, macroeconomic policy, and international monetary system. Paul Morris is President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education. He had been Chair Professor in education at the University of Hong Kong for many years, and has widely published in education policy, curriculum development, and comparative policy. Yue-ping Chung is a professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Policy, and former Dean of Education at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His research areas include efficiency and equity issues in educational development.

“The editors, Lok Sang Ho, Paul Morris and Yue-ping Chung are to be congratulated on producing a volume which is both hard-hitting and insightful about education reforms in Hong Kong. The range of experiences of the contributing authors contribute to a most interesting mix of perspectives about education reform. The focus is squarely on Hong Kong, in terms of general policy and reform issues, followed by more specific chapters dealing with issues of graduate teachers, English as a medium of instruction, and the role of the media. However, the issues raised are very applicable to many countries. This book is a valuable contribution to the literature on education reform.” —Professor Colin J. Marsh, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia