Meeting challenges

The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to nurturing essential skills, positive values and attitudes that enable students to cope with 21st century challenges.

Kevin Yeung

Secretary for Education

The Hong Kong curriculum includes knowledge and skills related to science, technology and information technology. It embraces creativity, interpersonal and collaborative skills, as well as innovative thinking, global, civic and cultural awareness. Values such as citizenship and respect are also constantly promoted as essential for preparing students for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

E-learning and computer skills

The covid-19 pandemic has been one such challenge. It brought up-to-date e-learning and computer skills into the limelight: crucial skills for applying Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in learning and in daily life. These skills allow for the ethical, flexible and effective use of information and information technology (IT). They also involve an awareness of the ways in which technological development and innovation change the way we live.

Specific computer skills lie within the curriculum’s Technology Education Key Learning Area. At primary level, basic IT knowledge and coding skills are included. At junior secondary level, the ICT curriculum aims to equip students with the knowledge and practical skills needed to apply ICT in daily life and use relevant technology to solve problems. A review of ICT at senior secondary level is underway, with the view of strengthening students’ computational thinking and enhancing their understanding of technological developments, including Artificial Intelligence.

Wellbeing, stress and mental health

We should always adopt a positive attitude even in tough times and I agree very much with the saying “There are always more solutions than problems in life”. The Government has been soliciting the collaborative efforts of different stakeholders to address issues concerning wellbeing and the EDB has been encouraging the adoption of the Whole School Approach to promote mental health education and enhance support for students with mental health needs.

Life education, or the ability to understand the meaning of life and how to cherish, respect and explore it, has been incorporated into different learning themes within the school curriculum. The EDB has also provided schools with relevant learning materials and professional development programmes. It offers structured training courses to serve teachers who are supporting students with special educational needs (SEN), some of which include content or modules on mental illness.

Every school year, EDB also organizes talks, seminars and experience-sharing sessions to raise teachers’ awareness of mental health and enhance their professional

capacity to identify and support students with mental health needs. We encourage schools to make good use of the knowledge and skills of the teachers who have received training to help the students in need.

Post-pandemic student stress

After months of class suspensions, some students may feel stressed when readjusting to school life but the EDB believes most of them will slowly recover with proper care and support. Teachers can show their concern by providing companionship and by creating a supportive environment. It is important to note that students, the younger ones in particular, look to teachers when they don’t know how to react to stressful events and so we encourage a calm and positive attitude. Teachers can be tolerant and adjust expectations of learning ability and behaviour as necessary.

For students who need special attention, we advise teachers to observe their condition and performance carefully and proactively, strengthen communication with parents and render additional assistance where appropriate. If students suffer from severe or persistent emotional distress and display strong emotional reactions such as excessive anxiety and fear, teachers should promptly refer them to school social workers, school-based educational psychologists or other professionals for timely and appropriate support.

Renewal and direction

Curriculum renewal has been taking place since 2014 with the goals of promoting whole-person development and lifelong learning capabilities of students while instilling positive values and attitudes, developing generic skills and constructing a solid knowledge base to enable students to face future challenges.

The EDB has also accorded great importance to empowering school leaders to sustain and deepen the accomplishments in curriculum implementation and to plan their whole-school curriculum strategically to prepare our students for the significant developments in our society and around the world.

In this connection, the School Leaders’ Workshop on Whole-school Curriculum Planning was launched in the 2018/19 school year for all publicly-funded secondary schools in Hong Kong. The aim was to enhance capacity to map out future directions for school-based curriculum development, taking into account the macro and dynamic changes in the local, regional and global landscapes. Topics include curriculum leadership against the backdrop of the challenges and opportunities in the 21st century, holistic planning for values education and implementing STEM education for all students.

Partnership initiatives

In the coming years, the EDB would like to explore partnerships that promote students’ wellness and mental health literacy, such as understanding mental health and mental illness, strategies for positive coping, destigmatization and help-seeking, and the implementation of effective intervention for students with mental health needs.

In recent years, such partnerships among government departments have improved significantly and collaborations with professional bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) have also been enhanced.

Another dimension to explore further is career and life planning education. EDB will continue to invite community organizations, including NGOs and corporations in various trades and industries, to join the Business-School Partnership Programme and provide activities such as career talks, workplace visits and work experience.

I congratulate HKFYG on its 60th anniversary. As an experienced NGO which has committed itself to serving the young people in Hong Kong and facilitating their allround development, HKFYG will certainly be one of our key partners in both devising and providing the necessary support and service for our students in the years to come.

More information about EDB support

1. edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/4-key-tasks/moral-civic/pdp.html 2. info.gov.hk/gia/general/201903/11/P2019031100430.htm 3. edb.gov.hk/en/teacher/student-guidance-discipline-services/gd-resources/index.html 4. edb.gov.hk/tc/edu-system/special/resources/joyfulatschool/index.html 5. edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/special/sen-training/index.html 6. edb.gov.hk/en/teacher/prevention-of-student-suicides/overview.html). 7. cspe.edu.hk/en/Resources-CareerGuidance-Handbook.html

教育局局長楊潤雄先生表示，教育的重點在於培育青年關 鍵能力、正向價值觀以及良好態度，以應對 21 世紀挑戰。 同時，楊局長認為社會各界應群策群力，藉跨界合作推動 教育和青年工作。