If you could take one school subject out of Hong Kong, what would it be and why?

Published: 
Listen to this article

This week we asked our readers: If you could take one subject off the Hong Kong school curriculum, what would it be and why? Here are some of our favourite answers ...

Andrew McNicol |
Published: 
Comment

Latest Articles

Hong Kong student achieves dream of conquering the Seven Summits

Face Off: Should lab-grown meat replace traditional animal farming?

Theory of Knowledge. It’s compulsory in the International Baccalaureate but it leaves me more confused about life than I was to begin with.

Anushka Purohit, 17 years old, Renaissance College

Chinese. To start off, it involves classical Chinese, which is a lot of mashed-up characters and makes for a very confusing text. Chinese writing questions are tricky and vague, while the integrated listening ones require more time than the hour and a half we get. Speaking isn’t easy either; coming up with your own points barely gets you a pass.

Lyndon Fan, 16, Hong Kong University Graduate Association College

Liberal Studies. As someone who has just finished the DSE, I don’t think Liberal Studies trains our critical thinking nor invites rational discourse on social issues as much as people think. You have to answer questions in set ways, analyse chunks of data and then give a conclusion that matches with what examiners have in mind. You are forced to cram a bunch of so-called examples into your head, and regurgitate them at the examiners. At the moment, an issue is assessed by the quantity of arguments you can think of, not the depth or quality. Critical thinking you say? Nah, it’s all about the marking scheme!

Ernest Leung Lok-hang, 17, La Salle College

Visual Art. I don’t see how a teacher could teach students how to interpret art and create artistic value without having predisposed biases and teaching them in their own preferred style. Art is about one’s self-expression.

Liam Fung, 15, Chinese International School

I wouldn’t take any subjects away from school. I love all my school’s amazing subjects! I am learning so much from each lesson, I’m quite proud of myself! Plus, if I took a subject away, I probably wouldn’t do as well in the exam!

Evelyn Su, 9, Discovery Bay International School

Physical Education. We already have break time; you can run around and use up your energy then. When we have PE straight after a break, we feel less energetic and don’t perform as well in the class. Also, if you sweat a lot, you could catch a cold after returning to the classroom.

Thalia Chan, 9, Discovery Bay International School

Drama. I know it’s fun and can help us with self-confidence, but I honestly don’t think we need it. An afterschool club is sufficient to practise speaking or rehearsing skits.

Ady Lam, 11, Island School

History. For me, it’s just so boring; I want to fall asleep in every history lesson. A quarter of my classmates sleep in class. Moreover, it feels like I have a bunch of question marks above my head as I listen. I don’t understand a thing about western history and I don’t want to. Not interested.

Chloe Wong, 12, King Ling College

Biology. There are innumerable long words which are impossible to understand and remember for exams. I look like a fool after my mind goes blank staring at the paper.

Tiffany Chan, 15, Po Leung Kuk Ma Kam Ming College

Maths. I feel like it stands for ‘Mental Abuse To Humans.’ It’s pretty useless for ordinary working people; when do topics like quadrilaterals and probability come up? Who’s boring enough to do nothing but calculate how likely you’ll roll a three on a dice?

Jacky Louie, 15, Po Leung Kuk Ma Kam Ming College

For next week’s Top 10, tell us: What’s the most courageous thing you’ve ever done? Send your answers to [email protected], along with your name, age and school, and our favourite answers will appear in next week’s Top 10 page!

Edited by Jamie Lam

Sign up for the YP Teachers Newsletter
Get updates for teachers sent directly to your inbox
By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Comment