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Educating Kids in Hong Kong

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  1. #1

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    Educating Kids in Hong Kong

    That is very similar to my "inner circle" of friends. They all have successful businesses or have successful careers here, but they all don't see a future for their kids to grow up here (i.e. Middle School, High School, University, etc..). But they all have stayed trying to make the most they can, and I think they would all leave once they've taken what they wanted.

    Honestly, I would never let my kids go to university in Hong Kong. The quality is getting worse, and mixed in with all these political debates, it just really ruins the spirit of the university experience for a 17-18 year old kid.

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    Quote Originally Posted by 7jai:
    Honestly, I would never let my kids go to university in Hong Kong. The quality is getting worse, and mixed in with all these political debates, it just really ruins the spirit of the university experience for a 17-18 year old kid.
    Personally i would worry more about school environment than Unis where kids are more or less mature enough to see things as they are, make their own choices and make the best out of whatever decision they make. On the contrary, school environment is detereorating much faster, zombification of kids, fear of breaking random petty rules, never ending instructions of dos and donts, total suppression of free thinking faculties, growing in constant fear at tender age and so on, such kid would hardly assimilate freely in other environment when go out for Uni..

    So far international schools are insulated (who knows how long) but local schools are big no..

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    Quote Originally Posted by ndt:
    Personally i would worry more about school environment than Unis where kids are more or less mature enough to see things as they are, make their own choices and make the best out of whatever decision they make. On the contrary, school environment is detereorating much faster, zombification of kids, fear of breaking random petty rules, never ending instructions of dos and donts, total suppression of free thinking faculties, growing in constant fear at tender age and so on, such kid would hardly assimilate freely in other environment when go out for Uni..

    So far international schools are insulated (who knows how long) but local schools are big no..
    Absolutely, which is why we are attending international schools. I think the demand for them has gone up dramatically, whereas the other local schools are dropping. Not sure how the local school system will survive with all the people leaving consist of those people who send their children through the public school network or DSS. Maybe now my child has a better chance of getting at those "god schools" like SPCC, or DBS/DGS lol

    My point on HK university is more on credibility. I think HK universities has had a lot of bad press and shot themselves in the foot. I don't think their degrees are worth it anymore (i.e. if I had the choice of going to a US/CA/UK university vs. HK university). I think the only exception would be those specialist professoinal programs like becoming a doctor, dentist, lawyer, etc... But outside of that (i.e. business studies, arts, engineering, etc.) i wouldn't put the trigger.

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    Maybe now my child has a better chance of getting at those "god schools" like SPCC, or DBS/DGS lol
    Again not sure which side you are leaning on, on the one hand you are happy with your kids in international schools to protect them form local environment and at the same time haapy to jump in if get a chance at good local schools.. SPCC/DBS/DGS/La Salle and many other are good local schools and no doubt produce top results but how is the environment going to be different there?

    In fact i would argue local elite schools are even bigger pressure cookers now, as if performance pressure from the school itself was not enough, now they will have added pressure of falling in line with all those nonsense and if i could go one step further, i would imagine Govt/ED would consider kids from those schools will be furutre administrators/policy makers so might put extra pressure to make sure they turn into absolute patriots and intelligent robots..
    Last edited by ndt; 27-10-2022 at 09:17 AM.

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    That's a bit weird. I know league table positions aren't everything, but they are at least one indicator and the THE puts both HKU and CUHK in the top teens and 45ish in the world respectively. Beating a whole heap of UK/US/Aus/Can etc universities. Not liking the local educational system is one thing, but ignoring objective comparisons is another. (I didn't graduate from a HK University)


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    Quote Originally Posted by chobochobo:
    That's a bit weird. I know league table positions aren't everything, but they are at least one indicator and the THE puts both HKU and CUHK in the top teens and 45ish in the world respectively. Beating a whole heap of UK/US/Aus/Can etc universities. Not liking the local educational system is one thing, but ignoring objective comparisons is another. (I didn't graduate from a HK University)
    My issue with the local uni and educational system is the lack of intellectual freedom to debate and question.

    Just last week the HKU Public Health School sent me a WhatsApp telling me I could not go to their campus to give blood samples if there was a covid case in my building in the last 14 days..

    Completely lacking any sense because that is the policy .. even on their science side .. no one questioned that their policy is even out of sync with the govt.

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    Now imagine studying history, politics, economics and other subjects where you have to publically debate pros and cons of systems, question outcomes ... Esp when you have to protect the feelings of half the class ...
    Last edited by shri; 27-10-2022 at 10:07 AM.

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    There have been digital capture machines in some rooms of study pursuit at at least one institution of obtaining knowledge for some time. I think it began during the flaxen rain parasol affair.


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    Completely lacking any sense because that is the policy .. even on their science side .. no one questioned that their policy is even out of sync with the govt.
    Then I guess there’s one aspect at least they’re catching up with Singapore. HK government doing well to sheepify all bureaucrats and by extension the population.

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    Which is why I laugh at people moving to Singapore for the kids

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  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by ndt:
    Again not sure which side you are leaning on, on the one hand you are happy with your kids in international schools to protect them form local environment and at the same time haapy to jump in if get a chance at good local schools.. SPCC/DBS/DGS/La Salle and many other are good local schools and no doubt produce top results but how is the environment going to be different there?
    It all depends on personal finances. Of course I would love a top international school like GSIS, AIS, CDNIS, etc. However the tuition they command is ridiculously high. Of course that is the price to pay for what I want, but affordability is another. If my family situation does not allow me to afford it, then my next choices are only so many....

    Which also begs the argument, why are international schools charging ridiculously high school fees? I feel like they are extorting families. If they really want to help HK people, they should force these institutions to lower their school fees (if they can control it) to help the broader population get access to this type of education.
    Last edited by 7jai; 27-10-2022 at 11:12 AM.
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