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LCQ1: Teaching Chinese History in secondary schools
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     Following is a question by the Hon Starry Lee and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, in the Legislative Council today (July 3):

Question:

     It has been reported that since the reform of the secondary school curriculum in 2001, quite a number of secondary schools have cancelled teaching Chinese history as an independent subject in their junior secondary curriculum, resulting in a continuous decline in the number of senior secondary students taking the subject in recent years. This year, only some 7 400 candidates took the examination on the subject of Chinese History of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, representing a sharp drop of over 1 000 candidates from that of last year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the number of secondary schools currently teaching Chinese history as an independent subject in both their junior and senior secondary curricula, the number of those which have a combined subject of Chinese history and world history in their junior secondary curriculum, and the number of those which only teach Chinese history using a thematic approach under the subject of Integrated Humanities in their junior secondary curriculum, and the respective percentages of such numbers in the total number of secondary schools offering mainstream curriculum;

(b) of the respective numbers and percentages of Secondary Four to Six students taking the subject of Chinese History each year since the implementation of the new senior secondary curriculum; and

(c) as some academics have pointed out that knowledge in the history of one's nation is the foundation for his sense of national identity, whether the Education Bureau will consider afresh requiring all secondary schools offering mainstream curriculum to teach Chinese history as an independent and compulsory subject at the junior secondary level; if so, when it will be implemented; if not, of the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     The Education Bureau (EDB) has requested all secondary schools offering mainstream curriculum to teach Chinese History at the junior secondary level. In other words, Chinese History is clearly compulsory in junior secondary.

     Regarding senior secondary, Chinese History will continue to be an elective subject as in the past. Under the old academic structure, candidates usually took four to five subjects in addition to Chinese, English and Mathematics at the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) but now under the New Senior Secondary (NSS) Academic Structure, students only take two to three subjects in addition to the core subjects. Therefore, there are fewer students in most elective subjects, and among them Chinese History. It is our view that the above situation is irrelevant to whether Chinese History is an independent subject at the junior secondary level.

     Teaching Chinese History as "an independent subject" means dissociating Chinese History from World History and from other humanities subjects, and to teach China's 5 000 years of history by individual dynasties, with the focus placed on political history with all its order and chaos, and changes in regime from the 1911 Revolution to Year 2000. Such Chinese History curriculum approach is considered to be a more traditional one in Hong Kong. But this is not the only way to teach Chinese History.  Some academics advocate an integrated subject linking the curricula of Chinese History and World History. This will enable students to have an idea of China's position in the context of world development in different eras, and allow more comprehensive examination of the similarities and differences as well as their experience of interaction between China and beyond in terms of their development. Other academics argue that Chinese History can be organised along certain themes designed in such a way that students will be able to have a grasp of Chinese social, cultural and technological developments in addition to the order and chaos of dynastic rule.

     Dozens of schools in Hong Kong have put in practice different curriculum modes in the teaching of Chinese History. Some of the teachers involved won the Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence. The EDB considers that such efforts should be duly recognised and encouraged. Optimising the learning of Chinese History and making it more interesting is the most effective strategy to increase the number of senior students taking the subject as an elective. The EDB will continue to refine the Chinese History curriculum and optimise the relevant learning and teaching strategies, while providing appropriate support for teachers.

     As regards the three-part question, our reply is as follows:

(a) Out of the 448 secondary schools offering mainstream curriculum at the junior secondary level, 393 are offering Chinese History as an independent subject, representing 87.7% of the total number. Among these 393 schools, 343 schools offer Chinese History as an independent subject in Secondary One (S1) to Secondary Three (S3), 25 secondary schools offer Chinese History in two junior secondary years and another 25 offer the subject for S3 only.  

     In other words, only 55 schools do not offer Chinese History as an independent subject at the junior secondary level, representing 12.2% of the total number. Of which, 23 schools teach Chinese History and World History as an integrated subject, while another 32 schools adopt a thematic approach and teach Chinese History under the subject of Integrated Humanities.

     At the senior secondary level, there are 450 schools offering mainstream curriculum in the current school year. The numbers and percentages of schools offering Chinese History at S4, S5 and S6 levels are 402 (89.5%), 403 (89.6%) and 413 (91.8%) respectively.

(b) The respective numbers and percentages of S4 to S6 students taking Chinese History each year since the implementation of the NSS curriculum are as follows:

     For the first cohort, the number of S4 students (2009/2010 school year) taking the subject was 12 857 (16.4%); the number stood at 10 096 (13.5%) when the cohort progressed to S5; among S6 students, 8 003 took Chinese History in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination, accounting for 11.7% of the total number of candidates.

     For the second cohort, the number of S4 students (2010/2011 school year) taking the subject was 11 872 (15.2%); the number stood at 9 329 (12.7%) when the cohort progressed to S5; among S6 students, 7 434 took Chinese History in the HKDSE examination, representing 10.8% of the total number of candidates.

     For the third cohort, the number of S4 students (2011/2012 school year) taking the subject was 10 349 (14.0%); the number stood at 8 185 (11.8%) when the cohort progressed to S5.

     For the fourth cohort, the number of S4 students (2012/2013 school year) taking the subject is 9 364 (13.4%).

(c) The EDB considers that to cultivate a sense of national identity in students, it is important for them to have a command of knowledge in the history of our nation.  Before the handover, Chinese History was merely an elective subject in grammar and technical schools. The subject was not an elective in pre-vocational schools at all. After the handover, the EDB has attached greater importance to teaching Chinese History, and stipulates that all secondary schools offering mainstream curriculum teach Chinese history and culture at the junior secondary level. Further, regardless of their mode of teaching, schools are required to assign no fewer than two periods or so per week for the teaching of the subject.

     The EDB does not share the view that cultivating a sense of national identity in students can only be achieved through the independent subject approach, that is teaching Chinese History based on the chronological order of dynasties. Though this curriculum mode has been around for years in Hong Kong and is widely in use among schools, the same cannot be found elsewhere in the world. Even in the Mainland, Taiwan and the Macau SAR, they only have History as one single subject, which is a combination of Chinese History and World History. Given the massive body of knowledge in Chinese history, there are diverse views as to how subject content can be organised in such a way that enables every student to grasp the essentials. Requiring all secondary schools offering mainstream curriculum to adopt only the independent subject approach when teaching Chinese History to junior students means negating the attempts and achievements of schools that have endeavoured to optimise the Chinese History curriculum. This does not bode well for Chinese History education with regard to its long-term development.

Ends/Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 13:24

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