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Following is a question by the Hon Regina Ip and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, in the Legislative Council today (December 17):
Question:
Prior to the commencement of the construction of the To Kwa Wan Station of the MTR Shatin to Central Link, an archaeological survey was carried out by archaeologists at the sites concerned, and quite a number of archaeological relics and remnants dating back to Song, Yuan, late Qing and up to Republican periods were excavated. Subsequently, the Secretary for Development pointed out at a media session held on November 20 that the archaeological discoveries included some remnants such as ancient wells, building foundations and relevant structures dating back to the Song and Yuan dynasties. Such archaeological discoveries were significant ones in Hong Kong in recent years and of great historical, archaeological and heritage value, reflecting the historical and social development of Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has assessed if the coverage on the history of Hong Kong under the existing curriculum of the subject of Chinese History at junior secondary level is sufficient to enable secondary students to appreciate the significance of the aforesaid and other archaeological discoveries for understanding Hong Kong's historical and social development; if it has, of the assessment outcome; if not, the reasons for that and whether it will conduct such an assessment;
(2) whether it has assessed if the low number of senior secondary students studying the subject of Chinese History at present will give rise to a situation where young people generally do not have sufficient knowledge base to appreciate the significance of the aforesaid and other archaeological discoveries for understanding Hong Kong's historical and social development; if it has, of the assessment outcome; if not, the reasons for that and whether it will conduct such an assessment; and
(3) whether it knows the trend in the number of undergraduates studying history (including Chinese history and world history) in various tertiary institutions in the past decade; whether it has assessed if the tertiary institutions have provided sufficient resources for the departments concerned to nurture undergraduates in knowing Hong Kong's archaeological work and its heritage conservation?
Reply:
President,
The archaeological relics unearthed at the construction sites of the MTR Shatin to Central Link (SCL) in To Kwa Wan in recent months has once again drawn public attention to the archaeological work of Hong Kong, as well as its history and culture. In the Hong Kong secondary school curriculum, history education is composed of two independent subjects, namely Chinese History and History. This is unique of Hong Kong. With regard to Chinese History, the curriculum content adopts the dynastic chronological approach, which enables students to understand the rise and decline of major dynastic regimes of our country from a macro and holistic perspective, so as to help them master its trend and development. As for History, it studies chronologically the development of local, national, Asian and world history, and their interrelationship. The two history subjects complement each other, and together they provide students with a comprehensive history education which covers Chinese as well as western history.
Our reply to the three parts of Hon Mrs Regina Ip's question is as follows:
(1) At junior secondary level, local history is mainly embedded in the History curriculum. Its content includes studying the archaeological finds in Hong Kong, etc., so that students can understand the life of its inhabitants in different periods and develop a basic understanding of the history and the social development of Hong Kong. In addition, teachers also make use of various community resources in the teaching of the above topics to enrich and deepen students' understanding of the local archaeological finds, to enhance their interest in learning history, and their ability to appreciate historical relics. For example, schools will arrange for students to visit the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb, and the traditional walled villages in the New Territories, etc. The archaeological relics and remnants dating back to Song, Yuan, late Qing and up to Republican periods recently excavated in To Kwa Wan will enrich the information concerning the history and social development of Hong Kong in the respective periods. After the excavation work is completed, collated and displayed, the relevant materials will definitely be included in the history textbooks, and the archaeological sites will become popular places for students to visit.
For Chinese History, its curriculum content continues to focus on the rise and decline of the major dynastic regimes, but the Education Bureau persistently encourages teachers to introduce related and relevant local happenings as supplements when teaching different dynasties, or to bring students to visit the historical monuments in Hong Kong. Through the study of local history, students' interest in learning Chinese history can be enhanced.
Furthermore, the Curriculum Development Council has set up an ad hoc Committee in May this year to review the junior secondary curricula of Chinese History and History. It is expected that the committee will come up with short, medium and long term reform proposals in the middle of next year, to be followed by public consultations. The ad hoc Committee will also review issues relating to the design and teaching of local history.
(2) In the case of senior secondary level, "Local Heritage Studies" is currently an elective module in History. In the Medium-term Review of the New Senior Secondary Academic Structure and Curriculum, it is recommended to incorporate "Local Heritage Studies" into the compulsory part of the curriculum, so that students can understand the coexistence and interaction of Chinese and foreign cultures through the study of local heritages (e.g., traditional festivals, archaeology and historical monuments, etc.). It is believed that this recommendation will enhance students' understanding of local history and culture, and its related archaeological finds. The curriculum content of senior secondary Chinese History emphasises the political development of different dynastic regimes, as well as their basic features and trends. Although local history is not part of the curriculum, teachers can, according to the content to be taught and interests of the students, include relevant elements of local history (including archaeological finds) to enrich students' learning.
(3) The number of students admitted to first-year first-degree places of history-related programmes of the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded institutions and the total cost of these programmes for the academic years between 2004/05 and 2013/14 are set out in the Annex.
Under the block grant principle, the UGC-funded institutions are allowed to determine on their own how to make use of the recurrent grants disbursed to them for teaching and research purposes, including providing sufficient resources for history-related departments to support the provision of quality undergraduate education. The actual allocation of funding among different programme categories is an internal matter of institutions within their autonomy.
Ends/Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:10
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