For the past 150 years, the government of Hong Kong has had no clear-cut policy on the implementation of moral and civic education in schools. So far, the Education and Manpower Bureau (previously the Education Department) has issued two Guidelines for schools' reference: the 1985 Guidelines and the 1996 Guidelines on Civic Education in Schools. The 1996 Guidelines seek to prepare young people to be responsible and participating citizens. To understand how civic education is implemented in Hong Kong schools, in 1999-2000, a working group of the Hong Kong Institute of Education carried out case studies of five secondary schools of different background. The study focused on the following areas: aims, curriculum planning and information, deployment of resources and teacher training, problems encountered and conductive factors. The conclusion is that school tradition, consensus of teaching staff, teachers' attitude and cooperation, teacher expertise, teaching resources and students' attitude are the main factors affecting the effectiveness of civic education.

It is important to promote the use of ICT, used in a broad sense, by teachers in the field of early childhood education. This paper discusses a case study of a pre-service kindergarten teacher in Hong Kong Institute of Education who enrolled on a course in Computer Applications in Early Childhood Education Curriculum in 2006. The research methodologies used were in-depth interview and content analysis. The case study aims to explore this pre-service student's conception of ICT and understanding of the strategies to integrate it into a one-day teaching plan. The research data showed that a range of technologies were used and identified the reasons for their use. It was found that the following factors influenced the student's decisions: experience of using technologies; beliefs about using technologies; the organizational environment; the acceptance of ICT use by kindergarten teachers; and the technical support and professional training available. The case study gave insights into the views of pre-service kindergarten teachers on preparing and implementing technologies in the classroom and should assist teacher educators to develop powerful training strategies for integrating ICT into early childhood education.

As part of the Review of Academic System in Hong Kong, the Education Commission has recently made initial recommendations on the aims of education for Hong Kong and conducted an extensive community consultation on the recommended aims. During the consultation process, it was clear that many community groups are concerned about not only the aims of education, but also a variety of related issues regarding different aspects of children’s schooling. This can be demonstrated in the findings of a survey of kindergarten teachers enrolled in in-service courses offered by the School of Early Childhood Education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The survey was conducted by a group of Staff within the School who wish to stimulate the community’s interest in and concern for issues related to early childhood education in Hong Kong. Part of the survey aimed to collect kindergarten teachers’ expectations of what early childhood education should provide for the children in Hong Kong. The findings are consistent with the views expressed by many different community groups. Kindergarten education is expected to promote balanced development of the whole child in all domains, to provide a facilitative environment for children to learn through play, and to enhance children’s social learning and functioning as a member of a group. Interestingly, these expectations shared by professional and parent groups alike are contrary to what is often observed in practice. Children, beginning from four-year-olds, are made to sit through dreary lessons that focus on rote learning of academic skills, rather than being allowed to experience stimulating and interesting learning activities that enhance intellectual, physical, social, moral as well as aesthetic development. The present paper aims to analyze the reasons for the contradictions between the expressed desires of teachers and parents and what is in fact being practised. Finally the challenges facing early childhood education in Hong Kong