HKIER

Abstract

In preparing to meet the challenges resulting from the forthcoming changes in Hong Kong from a seven-year pre-university and three-year university academic structure to one that prescribes a three-year junior secondary, three-year senior secondary and four-year university education, parallel changes have been suggested in the senior secondary curriculum. Particularly worthy of note is the introduction of Liberal Studies as a core subject required for admission to university education. While Liberal Studies has been hailed as a subject that could teach our students what is missing and desperately needed in the current system, transforming them into lifelong learners who have critical thinking skills with multiple perspectives, the elusive identity of Liberal Studies has inevitably generated controversies. It is suggested that interdisciplinary areas such as human evolution or human conditions studied from an evolutionary perspective are in line with the aims of Liberal Studies. And success experiences in conducting leadership training and development programs that embody desirable qualities and skills prized in Liberal Studies could provide invaluable lessons for educators in the process of developing curriculum for Liberal Studies.

Keywords: liberal studies; leadership development; Hong Kong

摘要

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