Within the region, a number of countries have viewed the importation of native speakers of English as a means of enhancing English language teaching in schools and promoting internationalization or cultural exchange. Adherents of such programmes anticipate benefits in exposing learners to authentic input, the use of English for genuine communication, and opportunities for mutual staff development or fruitful cross-fertilisation of ideas. Critics, on the other hand, point to a perceived lack of value for money, the difficulties of foreigners integrating into local systems, and conflicts between local and expatriate personnel. This paper will make some comparative observations about three schemes, EPIK (English Program in Korea), JET (Japan exchange and teaching program) and NET (Native-speaking English teacher), including their characteristics, successes and ongoing challenges. I will argue that both native and non0native speakers have their particular strengths and will propose some ways in which native-speakers might best be utilized in supporting enhanced standards of English in schools.

The "School Education in Hong Kong: A Statement of Aims" issued by the Education Commission in 1994 stated the importance of civic education as an aim of school education in Hong Kong. Despite the fact that civic education has quite a long history in Hong Kong, it is criticized by the public in that civic education has never been successfully implemented. More than once the Chinese officials expressed the view that civic education in Hong Kong has to be emphasized in respect of the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997. With the increasing significance of civic education in Hong Kong, there is an urgent need for teacher training in civic education. This panel is a presentation of findings from a project in civic education in Hong Kong. The research results of the pre-service teachers' competence in teaching civic education in 1997 shows that civic education in teacher education needs to be reviewed. The documentary analysis of the development of civic education, from which we can understand the relation of it to the results of the incompetent teaching in civic education of the pre-service teachers will also be presented. The result of this study will also be discussed in terms of designing civic education training.

This is a narrative self study of the professional experience of a teacher educator on identity education in Hong Kong. In the process of promoting a set of teaching strategies to teacher educators, in-service and pre-service teachers of history and civic education, he was able to explore their perceptions on identity education for youngsters in Hong Kong after her political handover in 1997. It was found that while even educators felt ambivalent about their identities as Hong Kong Chinese, the directions and approaches for identity education also became controversial in the educational field in Hong Kong. This inquiry has demonstrated, with global significance, both the complexity of the issue of identity and the challenges of promoting identity education on a politically shifting landscape.

Curriculum change in Hong Kong usually involved subject revision rather than curriculum framework consideration. Subject revision may improve the learning of the subject knowledge and enable a more effective teaching or assessment. However, such changes do not touch on the element of students' behaviour and attitude. Civic education in Hong Kong is implemented through subject contents of Arts and Crafts, Music and others, but the main burden of civic education is still on the subject General Studies. It is obvious that civic education at the moment is not effectively implemented in the primary schools, otherwise it cannot explain the increasing deviated behavioural problems among primary and secondary students. Reports on problems faced by school counselors suggest that it is time to rethink the curriculum structure of the primary school in Hong Kong at least for the betterment in civic education. The present civic education in Hong Kong primary schools is usually implemented by a) extra- curriculum activities, b) issues in the studies of general studies like drug education and sex education, c) seminar conducted by schools, d) assembly during school hours, and e) visits outside school hours. However, many of these involvements are passive and a more active learning process for the students in terms of their attitude is desired. As there are many constraints in the primary education, for example, bi- sessional mode is one, the inclusion of Drama in education is one feasible possibility as it enables students to participate actively in the learning process. The mode of operation of Theatre in Lducation in Hong Kong is mostly drama delivery to school plus one follow up discussion or drama workshop and games conducted by tutors employed by the subsided theatres. The workshops offered are usually performance linked, that is, related to a product like annual Parents' Night. Though there are certain encouraging effects for the students in terms of the building of their personality

Citizenship education has become a much emphasized area in the curriculum in many countries at the turn of the century. There was the experimentation of different modes of citizenship education. This study compared the perception of two groups of student teachers who had experienced different modes of citizenship education since childhood. There were interviews from 1997 to 2000 of two groups of student teachers each numbered about 45. One was from a teacher education institute in Hong Kong and the other was from a teacher education institute in South China. In the Hong Kong case, the qualitative data was triangulated with quantitative survey data collected annually from 1997 to 1999 of samples numbered about 270. Findings revealed that in spite of the different modes of citizenship education , student teachers agreed that the school was an important agent in influencing their conception of citizenship. However, the relative impact of the school depended on a number of random factors like the type of ethos of the school and the type of teachers students happened to be exposed to. Moreover, there existed other socializing agents that either played more important or equal important roles in shaping conception of citizenship. Implication on curriculum development and modes of citizenship education were discussed.