CERCular: No.2 of 1998

The Asia Pacific Journal of Education (Vol.18, No.2, 1998) has carried the following review of the first two publications in the series CERC Studies in Comparative Education. We are pleased to see this positive reception, and reprint the review here by permission of the author and the editors of the journal.

Taken together, these two books provide an excellent collection of perspectives on issues of how education is affected by political transition. The first volume deals with Hong Kong, although an interesting chapter by Jason Tan compares Hong Kong and Singapore in terms of colonial transition. The second volume focuses more broadly on East Asia, and includes several comparative chapters on the role of political transition and education in Asia (co-authored by the book's editors, Mark Bray and W.O. Lee), and a chapter on the role of English in the region by Robert Keith Johnson. Other chapters are case studies of China, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's experience is especially interesting, since its educational as well as political development has been influenced by so many factors. The policies of the British colonial administration, of course, were of central importance, especially in the earlier period of Hong Kong's development. The impact of local interests and individuals on educational development has always been strong, especially since Hong Kong's economy became so successful. In the period since the 1980s, when the Sino-British retrocession agreement was signed, the educational policy environment became immensely more complex, since both educational and political authorities were anticipating the educational priorities that might be pushed by the Chinese authorities.

Several chapters highlight the different, and often quite complex, elements shaping Hong Kong's educational policy. A highly original consideration of Wing-Wah Law of trends in higher education policy over time points out that the impact of the British colonial authorities was immense over a long period, and that the prospect of Chinese sovereignty stimulated what Law calls a "recolonization" through strengthening the University Grants Committee, a body with non-Hong Kong members that will have major power over higher education in the years following 1997. John Kang Tan writes about the interplay between church and state in the education area by focusing on Catholic education in Hong Kong during transition. He points out that Catholic authorities in Hong Kong were influenced by their experiences in China. They have been quite aware of such key issues as language and church-state relations in their policy making.

A study of the attitudes and perceptions of school administrators concerning educational policy and 1997 reinforces the image that Hong Kong people are highly pragmatic. These school leaders seem willing to "roll with the punches" while at the same time indicating a strong commitment to Hong Kong and to the educational system. Authors Clive Dimmock and Allan Walker point out that many key Hong Kong educators have studied abroad and have obtained overseas residency per-mits. They have, however, returned to Hong Kong, and have indicated their commitment to a successful transition.

The issue of language has always loomed large in Hong Kong, and language policy has been played out in school policy for many years. The issues are highly complex, relating to Hong Kong's position as a world centre of commerce and trade, the local domination of Cantonese, and the new imperative of Putonghua. Several chapters deal with language issues, and point out that a disproportionate part of the curriculum is devoted to language instruction, at the expense of "soft" sub-jects such as arts and music. It also seems that policy-makers and school authorities do not have a clear view of what the best language policy is for education. It is often noted that the standard of English is deteriorating in Hong Kong at the same time that territory depends on its international connections for its success. Based on the studies in this volume, there is not much cause for optimism that Hong Kong will have a consensus about language any time soon. The impact is clear in the sense that Putonghua, historically ignored, is now receiving great emphasis. But longer term implications remain unclear.

The chapters in Education and Political Transition: Implications of Hong Kong's Change of Sovereignty show us just how complex the relationship is between politics, policy, and education. The book provides a set of thoughtful and relevant studies of the intersection of education and the broader political imperatives of the transition. Education and Political Transition: Perspectives and Dimensions in East Asia takes the argument to a regional level. Some of the same issues that were discussed in Hong Kong are considered in a broader East Asian context. Of particular interest is Wing-Wah Law's study of how Taiwan's higher education system has been influenced by external forces and the imperatives of Taiwan's place in the world and in the region. Similar in approach is S. Gopinathan's study of how global issues and state policy have intersected in Singapore's educational policy. In both cases, a combination of internal factors and ideas about the nature of the state and policy have come up against broader economic and political realities.

As in any collection of essays, the quality of the material varies, as does the relevance of the chapters. While there is an over-arching focus on education and political transition, no clear perspectives are taken by the authors. Indeed, some of the authors have defined their subjects rather broadly, and the relevance to the general theme is sometimes not so clear. Overall, however, these are very worthwhile essays that add significantly to our knowledge of Hong Kong and the region. The two books are also a very good start to Hong Kong University's Comparative Education Research Centre's series of studies in comparative education.

Philip G. Altbach