Author: Zeng Junhua

What is education?The simplest explanation is teaching and cultivation.Teaching students, training skills, and training different types of talents for future social training have always been an educational policy for every society.Unfortunately, in recent years, education in Hong Kong has gradually deteriorated. The school is dominated by examinations. Students take money as the goal of life, and they are getting farther and farther from the original nature of education. In the long run, this is not conducive to the development of society.On education, I am not an expert, but before returning to the government, I worked as a teacher in the Boston Education Department in the United States and did a curriculum design. Now I have set up some platforms to promote educational matters after leaving the government.I hope that through some of the views on local education through this short article, maybe Hong Kong must develop alternative education in the future to meet the needs of the new era of the 21st century.

The true meaning of education

Many people often ask the purpose or true meaning of education?People of different generations have different views, and it is difficult to have real answers, but one of them must be inherited.In the Stone Age, my father taught his son to get angry, and his son learned this survival skill from it was inheritance.Another purpose is naturally to give play to the diverse potential of students, but this is difficult to understand.

The current courses used in Hong Kong are still the 19th century industry. Taking efficiency as the standard, all students are placed in a unified professor.But in fact, the development level and speed of each student are different. Unified professors will only hinder students' development. This is also the defect in Hong Kong's course.

Our curriculum lags behind the development of the times, and teachers are not training enough, but prepare for students in the 21st century life, study and work, which is really a big problem.In addition, the Hong Kong examination system has controlled the development of the curriculum, making students learn more.At present, technology is developed, and many things are already available, and artificial intelligence can solve many difficulties.Do we still have to teach primary school students to get three digits?Do people remember different planets?It is worthy of in -depth review.

Changes in the nature of work in the new era

The advent of the new era of the 21st century will change many original work.At present, many parents want children to be a third division after completing their studies, namely lawyers, doctors or accountants.As we all know, these are all industries that make money. They can provide a stable middle -class life.However, everyone must understand that most of the three divisions now will be replaced by artificial intelligence.Take a lawyer as an example. If you want to seek legal opinions, find a lawyer to do information for one to two weeks, but you can provide professional opinions in a short period of time with a computer program, and it is accurate.In terms of medical care, machinery is faster and more accurate than people, and there are no difficulty detecting various types of illness such as cancer.As for many accounting, you can also DIY (do it yourself), and you don't need to rely on others to do it.Therefore, the times are changing.Those who are in all aspects include teachers, students, parents, principals, even community or employers must change their inherent views in order to welcome the 21st century.

Many employers now invite people to no longer just look at the diploma, but pay more attention to the skills he needs.What are these skills?I haven't known yet.There is a think tank called Institute for the Future. It has done research. In the next 15 to 20 years, more than 80 % of new work will not be seen today.Although this situation has not been seen in Hong Kong, I believe it will come soon.Only by being prepared and flexible can we adapt to the needs of the times without falling behind others.

Blue -collar white -collar workers are not big

Now German Hong Kong Education is too important to take the diploma and lacks other skills training. This is a bit biased.I think Hong Kong needs a little more skills to implement the comprehensive development of students.I used to be a middle school in the United States, with metal, carpentry, and ceramic workshops.I tried the grinding glass and made a telescope.Among these workshops, this process is very important to make a product through personal operation machines.Only when you come into contact with and create yourself can you make your own designed things in practice.

I can give an example here.I am a person in charge of the Innovation Node established by MIT in Hong Kong. I have organized some workshops to gather local (referred to as Hong Kong) college students and MIT students to gather together, and then group them.Piece objects.It was found that most Hong Kong students were responsible for writing programs, and it was difficult to do practical practice.If the students do not understand the design, there will be differences in the products and concepts they make, and there will be problems.

Hong Kong has always been separated from academic and professional practice, resulting in the difference between blue -collar and white -collar workers.In the industrial era after the 21st century, the boundaries of blue -collar and white -collar workers have been blurred.Now the so -called white -collar workers must have the skills of blue -collar workers, and blue -collar workers also have white -collar knowledge, and the work of the two often overlap.Therefore, the world is changing, and education should be adjusted according to the actual needs of society.

Important of Innovation

Because education is a guide to move forward, innovation is very important.Everyone understands this principle, but it is not possible to give up the reward of Lisa and invest in science and technology innovation.Many people are unwilling to innovate, mainly because they are afraid of failure.Everyone must understand that when you guide students to innovate, they need to accept failure.As long as you understand that every time you fall, you will move forward every time you get up, so that the road of innovation can be further and further.Only by continuous innovation can society progress and education will make sense.

Educational resource reenginer

With the advancement of science and technology, people are growing longer and longevity, and I suggest that educational resources should also be re -distributed.Now all educational resources are placed in more than 20 years before life, from kindergarten to university, and never stop.In fact, can you stop a little bit in the middle, read it at the age of 30, 40, and read again at 50 or 60?

Readers may think that this is a nightmare.Recently, I am translating the book of an old teammate. His life is worthy of everyone.After studying at MIT for a year, he decided to be a world championship, so he resolutely gave up his studies.As a result, I went back to train and finally became a world champion, and then returned to school to continue reading.Later, in addition to getting a doctor's certificate, he also obtained a doctorate degree, and now there are two pharmaceutical factories.This story tells us: Life can learn for life. As long as you never give up, you can receive education at different stages. In the end, you can also contribute to society.

All in all, education is due to time -oriented systems and adapt to people.Now that Hong Kong education has become dead and rigid, maybe the development of alternative education is a new way for Hong Kong.

(The author is the founder of the former head of finance and uncle potato chips.)