Cultivating creativity will inspire Hong Kong’s future tech leaders

To enhance students’ interest, skills and awareness in science and technology, the city’s schools must go beyond preparing them for exams

Jane Lee

Published: 9:30am, 27 Jul 2024

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Cultivating creativity and innovation has become paramount in today’s technology-fuelled, data-driven landscape. Therefore, to remain competitive, the consensus supports the development of critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills in our education system.

The Education Bureau introduced STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) for Hong Kong in 2016. These interdisciplinary modules were designed to cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity through hands-on inquiry and engineering practices – essential skills for navigating complex challenges.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s 2022 policy address outlined a multipronged approach to bolstering STEAM education. It mandated that all schools appoint a dedicated STEAM coordinator. The address also included a commitment to enriching the curriculum, as well as improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

However, despite advancements within the education system, the focus on examinations in the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) curriculum is not entirely aligned with the analytical skills required for STEAM subjects.

Notwithstanding the DSE’s core strengths, recognised by local and many international universities, there is a gap between the exam-oriented DSE and the analytical STEAM skill set, which poses a challenge that education reforms and curriculum revisions must address.

While some directly subsidy scheme (DSS) schools offer more progressive, student-centred approaches, many of the more than 800 subsidised schools remain focused on equipping students with the knowledge and test preparation skills required for public examinations.

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Classrooms that are not interactive inevitably shape the learning process by limiting the development of analytical reasoning, innovative solutions and imaginative expression. This, in turn, stifles critical thinking, independent learning and creativity, concepts that the Education Bureau says it is working hard to introduce into all schools.

The Education Bureau has implemented various curriculum reforms and continues to do so to strengthen STEAM education in Hong Kong schools. It recently announced the curriculum resources for Primary Science, which will be implemented in the 2025/26 school year. The curriculum emphasises two key components: “Science Inquiry” and “Engineering Design and Innovation”. These focus areas are designed to provide students with a diverse range of “hands-on and minds-on” learning activities.

Such curriculum optimisation measures aim to enhance students’ interest, skills and awareness in science, innovation and the importance of leveraging technology – aligning with global trends in education.

Schools are encouraged to holistically review their curriculum and make adjustments to accommodate their students’ diverse learning and developmental needs. These measures reflect the need to reorient to cultivate scientifically literate, technologically adept and innovative problem-solvers, positioning students to be future change-makers.

However, despite the Education Bureau’s curriculum reforms and a more student-centric approach, a study conducted by the Hong Kong Productivity Council and subsequently referenced by the research office of the Legislative Secretariat found that 82 per cent of local teachers felt unprepared to teach multidisciplinary STEAM subjects by the end of 2022.

A primary school student assembles a do-it-yourself electronic project on a circuit board. Photo: Shutterstock

These findings suggest that much still needs to be done. Plans for training and supporting teachers must be sped up to adequately provide educators with stronger teaching resources and guidance to foster these vital competencies in their students.

The Educational Bureau’s emphasis on analytical skills is rooted in its understanding of how the world has changed over recent years. As automation and artificial intelligence continue to disrupt traditional industries, the ability to think outside the box, identify novel solutions to complex challenges and adapt quickly to changing circumstances will be the currency of success. This rapidly changing landscape demands a different set of competencies.

The development of STEAM subjects aligns with the central government’s 14th five-year plan and the goal of making Hong Kong an international innovation and technology centre. Hong Kong’s ambitions within “one country, two systems”, allied to our strong profile and presence on the international stage, make it all the more important for every aspect of our education system to remain purposeful and progressive.

An excellent example of our international recognition and strength in innovation and technology was our presence at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in April. The Hong Kong delegation comprised 40 academic, business and government organisations. Hong Kong won over 350 awards, including a remarkable 114 gold medals.

Education is the most precious gift we can give future generations. It is also fundamental to our economic success. The key to our long-term success will be multi-stakeholder engagement that empowers parents and educators, strengthens schools and ultimately benefits all students. We must keep finding innovative ways to cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity in the education system.

Dr Jane Lee is president of Our Hong Kong Foundation