HONG KONG hot house exams on TV last Friday. (Ch4 7.30)

[boxershorts]

Anyone see it? Master Gove approves of this hothouse exam system in Hong Kong (20 per cent pass rate. Tutors millionaires.)

[NynaevesSister]

The school system in HK is horrendous. The pressure is immense right from the start. Get them into the wrong nursery at 2 years old and you will scupper their chances of university. This is in the state sector btw. The children have exams every term. AND you get your papers back marked, or example, 8/30 or 27/30 - that is where your score is in the class.

This is for 5 year olds.

As well as school, all the children go to tutorial classes after school.

It is very sad to go to a playground in HK, as well as being incredibly unadventurous, the play equipment needs to be less challenging than ours as the children just can't cope with it.

Drugs are a big problem, as are other social issues including alcohol, because of the immense pressure put on children.

Pluses? Well the schools seemed very orderly and the children exceptionally well behaved. Also, it is the norm for families or for helpers (nearly every family that can afford it has a helper, usually from the Philippines) to either go and have lunch with the children at school or take them out or home for lunch, which seems nice.

Learning wise though, the children just learn by rote. There's no independent learning, and there is no critical thinking.

I haven't seen that program but thanks for pointing it out to me. I will have a look.

[boxershorts]

Nyna thanks for the information. The tutor swtepped into an enormous Lambourginy or something half the age of clarkson. I did not know whether to laugh or cry. Mr Gove would be smacking his lips