The change of secondary school place allocation method in the last 50 years was an interesting history in education. Due to the increase of population in 1949, the Joint Primary 6 Examination was used to select good primary school graduates for secondary school education. It was then modified in 1962 and renamed as the Secondary School Entrance Examination. Due to the introduction of 9 years compulsory education in 1978, a brand new Secondary School Place Allocation method was adopted. The method was found unsatisfactory after 20 years of administration. The professionals proposed a modified method that they themselves rejected 13 years ago. However, the policy makers suggested another method that was proved theoretically wrong and abandoned 7 years ago. It will be interesting to see what will be the final outcome.

近年來香港政府制訂政策鼓勵學校開發校本教材，但是教科書仍 然是香港教師最常用的教學材料。這種現象的背後，是教師們沒有時間或缺乏專業的技能來設計高質量的校本教材。與香港政府在經濟上的「自由不干預」政策相適應，政府將教科書出版視為一種商業活動。 出版商之間的競爭促進教科書質量的不斷提高。這一教科書出版系統並不意味著政府角色的缺失，教科書出版商多會將教科書送交政府進行審查，這成為香港教科書質量保證系統的重要組成部分。除此之外，教師選擇教科書的專業性也是保證教科書市場化營運成功的重要元素。
[Copyright © 2008 國立編譯館.]

Globalization is a human revolution caused by the information technology revolution in the last century. In the context of globalization, there is a growing concern over the educational exchange and internationalization of education in various places. Hong Kong is an international metropolitan in Asia, and the Education Bureau promotes the development of education internationalization in many ways. In order to analyze the practice of the internationalization of education in Hong Kong, this article analyzes and discusses six aspects in Hong Kong education: internationalization of higher education in Hong Kong, international schools in Hong Kong, the International Baccalaureate in Hong Kong, the support provided to students learning English, the cultivation of an international perspective in students, and catering policies for the learning of non-Chinese speaking children. It will also point out new challenges faced by the internationalization of education in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s high ranking in the OECD’s PISA study and other international assessments has caught the interest of policy-makers internationally who are searching for policy models and classroom practices to learn from. This paper will investigate the nature and validity of the comparative international references made about education in Hong Kong and lessons that might be usefully learned from its experience. It will do this by exploring the outcomes of research that gathered views of stakeholders in Hong Kong, including policy-makers past and present, teachers, principals, academic experts, and parent and employer groups, along with the views of policy-makers, researchers and Chinese community leaders in UK. These perspectives shed light on the reasons – within and beyond the classroom - behind Hong Kong’s success, as well as on the strengths and limitations of schooling that may be misunderstood internationally, in particular in its perceived success in achieving the holy grail of quality and equity in education. Listening to local voices raises questions as to whether strengths in one system as identified by international agencies can be used by policy-makers elsewhere to guide or justify reforms when they are not familiar with the local context and its nuances. The paper draws on work for the research project ‘Hong Kong as a Source for Education Policy in England: Rhetoric and Reality’, funded by The UK Economic and Social Research Council/Research Grants Council, Hong Kong, Joint Research Scheme.