The author reports that the Curriculum Development Institute (CDI) was established in April 1992 as a new Division of the Education Department. It was characterized by its special contractual staffing arrangement which hopefully could produce a desired working culture expected of a professional agency. The CDI was still in its formative stage, and the author believed that the organizational structure of CDI could be further streamlined to develop a greater degree of autonomy and professionalism and that, to succeed, quality and innovation needed to be initiated and owned by every member of the institute.

This book investigates the implications of the return of sovereignty in 1997 to China on the Hong Kong education system. The major issues examined include the social, historical, and international context; the legitimacy of educational policy and the challenge of bringing up citizens in China; the present and future role of education in social class and gender stratification; the use of Putonghua and English in schools; and finally the comparisons between education in Hong Kong and China and the potential for future convergence.