Our school is thinking of having a Wall of Freedom on which students can voice their opinions in writing. This provides a free-for-all platform for students to express their ideas on various aspects about our school. However, on the other hand, some problems are likely to arise. Therefore, rules should be imposed so as to maintain a healthy atmosphere which allows students to enjoy the right of freedom.
Having a Wall of Freedom allows students to exercise their freedom of speech, which is one of the most important rights of Hong Kong citizens. It encourages students to voice their opinions, advice and ideas which they seldom have a chance to express to their schoolmates, teachers or even the board of directors of the school. Different angles of view can then be collected and exchange of ideas can be achieved. In this way, the school can improve by finding out students' thoughts from the review. More importantly, students can get used to voicing what they have in their mind to exchange ideas and information in a polite, effective manner without offending others, which is an essential skill required in society.
Besides, having a Wall of Freedom stimulates students' critical thinking and develops a habit of sharing. Instead of following others' ideas and saying ' I agree with you.' , students should learn to analyze different cases and social issues in society. Practice makes perfect. When more chances are offered to them to think and to share, it becomes a usual practice for them to discuss various issues and to be bold enough to express themselves. These are actually habits Hong Kong students lack but are very important for them to build up since an early age.
A coin always has two sides. Problems are likely to arise during implementation. Firstly, it is hard to prevent some students from writing inappropriate content on the wall, for example, vulgar and offensive phrases, verbal bullying and content which is irrelevant or not meaningful. It may also be turned into a personal chat room. It is hard to monitor the use of it as everyone can write on the wall. Conflicts among students and teachers may arise as tension may mount through personal attacks or complaints if the users are not rational enough.
Moreover, students may tend to view things from the negative side. As students are encouraged to voice their opinions especially towards the school policies, complaints instead of appreciation. The mind-set of students may be moulded and hence they may not appreciate things others have done which in turn train up students who always criticize and even argue with others.
As a student, I do think the advantages of the Wall of Freedom outweigh the problems and therefore it should be set up. However, limitations are always needed in a free situation. Rules should be imposed to prevent the abuse of it. Content with vulgar and offensive phrases should be prohibited. Names of students should be required as a clear indication that writers are held responsible for what they say so as to avoid senseless acts of vandalism. On the other hand, freedom of speech should be faithfully respected. As long as the opinion is sensible and is expressed in a respectful way, it should not mean any trouble to writers even the opinion may not be on the same side of the school. Otherwise, it will discourage the expression of opinions as no one likes trouble.
To conclude, it is everyone's responsibility to voice constructive ideas on the school policies and current issues and the Wall of Freedom is therefore a good exercise for every student to express themselves. It is also a good practice for them to exercise critical thinking which is very important in today's society. If rules are imposed to monitor the use of it, the Wall of Freedom would definitely be a good platform which benefits the whole school. Let's go and paint the ' Wall' with our constructive ideas!