As Hong Kong’s population shrinks, school enrolment also drops. There is now a heated debate over the government’s implementation of small-class teaching or class reduction in schools. Schools believe that small-class teaching is the best solution because by reducing the teacher-student ratio, there can be more interaction between teachers and students. However, the government maintains that this applies only to primary levels. For secondary schools, the best solution is to cut the number of S.1 classes by one in each school. In about 500 words, write a letter to the Editor of South China Morning Post stating your views on this issue from the perspective of a secondary school student and giving reasons for them.
FEWER KIDS, A THREAT TO SCHOOLS?
Dear Editor,
I would like to spare your column to express my concerns with small-class teaching in secondary schools, and help clarify any misunderstanding about it due to misleading speeches made by the government officials recently.
Due to the drastic decrease in student population in these years, the Government, teachers and students are facing a dilemma: the reduction in number of classes and schools, or cutting the size of each class to be adopted in Hong Kong. Michael Suen Ming-yeung, from the Education Bureau, wrote an article, claiming that cutting classes in schools would be better than cutting the size of each class to solve the problem of fewer kids in town. It is because, according to him, “researches” have found that small classes would not bring effective learning for secondary school pupils, as in the case of primary school students. Therefore, reducing the number of classes and schools will be the only way-out for Hong Kong Education system. However, as a secondary school student, I would like to show my disagreement with the Government, and point out that learning in small classes can do much good to student development.
We, students, can enjoy better care from teachers when small-class teaching is practised, since, with a smaller class size, teachers need not spend so much time marking homework for us. They can therefore make use of the time talking and sharing with their students. Also, with fewer students, teachers can concentrate their care on a smaller group of pupils. This is just like sharing a cake. When the teacher apportion the cake to 40 students, each can only receive a little. However, if the teacher divides the cake of the same size into 20 portions, each child can receive a double portion. Through talking and sharing, teachers can easily find out students’ emotional problems, like issues over relationships which are prevalent problems faced by many secondary school students. The teacher can then become the mentor, giving counseling to the students and leading them to escape from this “trough”. All these reveal that students can benefit from emotional support from teachers in smaller classes.
In addition, small class sizes enable us, secondary school students, to pursue higher academic achievements. With smaller class sizes, we can be allowed to share our ideas and opinions in class with fewer time constraints. This can develop and consolidate our critical and logical thinking. Liberal Studies, a new subject to every secondary school students under the NSS, ie, the 3-3-4 curriculum, requires students to think and express themselves from different angles. With smaller classes, teachers can assign a variety of classroom activities like role plays in which everyone is involved. Students can then develop higher-order thinking, which helps achieve better results in many subjects like Chinese Language & Culture and History that need analytical minds. In no way is the Government’s claim with phony researches valid.
Some of the readers may argue for the cutting of classes and closure of schools because small-class teaching is associated with large amounts of expenditure. However, I would like to present the broader picture that cutting class numbers will, in fact, result in a heavier cost in the forseeable future. Since the birth rate in Hong Kong has a tendency of increasing in these two to three years. There is also increasing influx of mainland Chinese to Hong Kong. As a matter of fact, the number of students will rise again. With a cut of about 630 classes, how can the Government establish so many schools and recruit a large number of teachers to meet future demands? If the Government cannot provide adequate schools, then this will definitely discredit the prestige of the Government. Hence we should not cut classes now.
Education is an investment, not expenditure. The Government should not, due to financial constraints, hinder the provision for better education for the future generations, who are the pillars of our society. Small-class teaching has been proved to have so many advantages that with enough researches on teaching methods used in teaching small classes, Hong Kong can produce a vast number of elites!
Yours sincerely,
CW
Chris Wong