This paper investigates problems of space in Hong Kong kindergartens. It reports survey findings of a policy study relating to the Kindergarten Education Scheme (KES). KES emphasizes holistic development and child-centred pedagogy, which require larger and more flexible spaces than traditional desk-based learning. The study aimed to explore kindergartens’ responses to the resulting challenges around providing adequate space within Hong Kong’s high density urban environment. Questionnaires were sent to principals of 751 KES kindergartens. 325 valid questionnaires were collected (response rate: 43.5%). Analysis comprised descriptive statistics, inferential tests of relationships between operation mode and other variables, and coding of open-ended question responses. The paper highlights three key findings: (i) kindergartens reported a wide range of challenges relating to space; (ii) most augment their provision by using public spaces outside the premises, but these spaces come with their own challenges; and (iii) there were significant differences in the extent of reported problems between kindergartens operating in different modes, with long-whole-day kindergartens experiencing greater difficulty and disparity. Situating these findings in the historical context of Hong Kong’s uneven urban development, we argue that policy improvement of spatial provision will require reducing pressures on kindergarten spaces, rather than merely setting out spatial standards. Copyright © 2023  Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Through the experiences of Pakistani-migrant families in Hong Kong, this paper explores ethnic minority students' aspirations for education, work and the future in a context where education is highly valued but also extremely competitive. The first part depicts how Pakistani youth and their parents articulate their aspirations and opportunities and investigates the sociopolitical changes in education that are creating new opportunities for young Pakistani students. The second part considers the challenges from the larger Hong Kong society and within the Pakistani community that may hamper aspirations. The last part examines transitions and promises and the ways Pakistani youth negotiate for better futures. This article delineates the intertwining dynamics of cultural consensus, cultural dissonance and children's agency as the youth navigate the terrain of education and career.
[Copyright of Children's Geographies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd.]

This study examines two factors affecting children's school journeys – independent mobility and accessible school opportunities. Two time-geography based indicators, the spatial extent of potential path area and the number of weighted school places reachable (labelled OPP), are estimated. Multi-level modelling has been developed to analyse the interplay of individual, household and neighbourhood factors. Hong Kong is used as a case study because the neighbourhood effects on school provision within compact cities have not been well studied. The results show that 30.4% of the children's school journeys were made without adult companions. Half of the children walked to schools. The multi-level analysis suggests that nearly 90% of the variance in both indicators was found at the individual level. Neighbourhood, though not a decisive factor, does have impacts on the number of accessible school choices.
Copyright of Children's Geographies is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2013.828450

This paper examines the under-explored relationship between young people's transitions to higher education (HE) and the opportunities afforded by transnational education (TNE) programmes, with a focus on understanding the contemporary situation in Hong Kong. A fascinating association has developed, over the past decade, between the expansion of TNE in the territory and the government's commitment to providing continuing education'. We explore what this relationship might mean for the young people directly affected by these new opportunities, by drawing on 70 in-depth interviews with students/graduates. Our sample is, what Brinton [2011. Lost in Transition: Youth, Work, and Instability in Postindustrial Japan. New York: Cambridge University Press] has termed (in another context), Hong Kong's educational non-elite'. We ask: how does this non-elite' negotiate the shifting terrains of educational provision in an era where credentials (particularly at degree-level) are seen as everything'? Our paper contributes directly to discussions around young people and (international) education, and considers frankly the specific role that transnational HE plays in the education/employment transition of thousands of (hitherto neglected) individuals in contemporary Hong Kong.
[Copyright of Childrens Geographies is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2013.850851]