Topic: 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 the South China Morning Post stating your views on this issue from the perspective of a secondary school student and giving reasons for them.
Small Class Teaching
Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my opinions about the issue of small-class teaching, which has recently stirred up much controversy in society. After listening to the voice from the teachers as well as the schools, I believe that I must add my weight to their opinion, as a local secondary student. With the benefits of improved teaching quality and increased interaction in class, I do not see any reason for the authority to reject the suggestion of the implementation of small-class teaching but to carry out its own plan of class reduction in secondary schools.
To begin with, it is evident that smaller class size leads to a significantly higher quality in both teaching and learning. According to a study jointly conducted by Cambridge University and the Institute of Education at the University of London, secondary-school students in smaller classes took a more active part in lessons. This result is undoubtedly strong evidence supporting the argument that students can learn more and better with reduced class size, as they are more likely to respond in class and concentrate on their studies, paving their way to efficient learning. Moreover, with a drop in the number of students per class, it is natural that the teachers, assigned with lighter work load, will be able to pay more attention to each student and to cater for the individual needs of their students, instead of simply rushing through the entire syllabus quickly to help a large number of students prepare for their exams. Japan’s experience in this area offers a valuable illustration of this. After the introduction of small-class teaching, teachers in the nation, in general, find it much easier to prepare tailor-made teaching resources through making changes specifically for their students divided in small compact groups. All these demonstrate clearly the effectiveness of the reduction in class size in enhancing teaching quality.
What is also worth noticing is that smaller class is, in fact, beneficial to the establishment of a close relation among students and teacher in a class. Once the government implements small-class teaching in secondary schools, not only can the teachers better understand the unique character of every student, we students can also have more opportunities to interact with our classmates, and strengthen the cohesion among us. As a matter of fact, a group theory in psychology also states that people in smaller groups have a better sense of belonging, which a class with 40 students can hardly offer us. Therefore, small-class teaching is much more than a way to improve our academic results. It is also vital for enhancing the bonding among classmates and thus the entire learning atmosphere, providing every student with a more enjoyable, joyful and unforgettable secondary school life.
On top of that, the implementation of small class teaching instead of class reduction can also effectively prevent the closing down of numerous secondary schools, and in turn provide more choices for students. Based on the information from the Education Bureau, it is estimated that the annual intake of Form 1 students will experience a drastic decline of almost 30 percent, or 20000 pupils by 2016. It is quite clear, yet saddening, that quite a number of “less popular” secondary schools without sufficient enrolment will have to be shut down, if the government finally chooses to adopt the class reduction policy. On the contrary, reduction in class size can help preserve the diversity of schools in Hong Kong, giving pupils a variety of education in various methods and different approaches to cater for different students’ needs. By doing so, we can ensure that prestigious schools will not monopolize the provision of education services in the territory, nor will the students be deprived of the right of choosing another way of learning, besides the one that emphasizes a mere pursuit of outstanding academic achievements.
Facing the tremendous stress from the public, the Education Bureau still shows great reluctance to this better method, refusing to implement small-class teaching by quoting its old and boring arguments of dramatically increased cost for the government. However, it is interesting to note a fact that this is actually an argument used by the government before, when it was once again trying to avoid implementing small-class teaching in primary schools! And it turned out that the government’s recurrent expenditure for the primary sector only recorded a slight rise of 1.7 per cent after the implementation of smaller classes in primary schools. So, should we believe in the astronomical rise of 20 billion dollars in the authority’s expenditure on secondary education, as claimed by the Education Secretary Michael Suen Ming Yeung? When we know further that Suen completely neglects the 14-billion-dollar “whopping” savings owing to the drop in the number of secondary pupils in his so-called estimation, the answer is presumably “NO”.
Besides, the government also cited a research stating that small-class teaching was the most effective in Primary 1, so as to support its class reduction policy. However, to the disappointment of the officials, this piece of “evidence” is not relevant at all. What the authority overlooks is that the research only includes a survey on primary students, and it reveals nothing regarding secondary education. The result of this research simply cannot be used to convince the public of the diminishing effect of small-class teaching in secondary schools.
Education is an investment in human capital, and its quality determines the competitiveness of our further society. Therefore, I sincerely hope that the government can realize the importance of the immediate implementation of small-class teaching and will be willing to loosen its purse strings to carry out this beneficial policy, so as to cultivate a brilliant generation of Hongkongers for the future prosperity and success of the city.
Yours faithfully,
Chris Wong
Chris Wong