The Hong Kong centres getting children ready for kindergarten
Children as young as two are being prepared socially, mentally and physically for a lifetime of learning. The goal is to make them ‘school ready’ by the time they enter primary classes. Being bilingual is an extra challenge in Hong Kong
One in four children entering kindergarten in the US is not ready to learn, according to a study jointly published in October by the Pritzker Children’s Initiative and the Bridgespan Group. The finding has timely implications for Hong Kong, especially as the Education Bureau is set to update its “Guide to the Pre-Primary Curriculum” this year.
The US report, which is based on 18 months of research and interviews, stresses the importance of “school readiness” and highlights the difference in achievements between five- and six-year-olds who are prepared and those who are less so.
Being “ready” poses unique challenges for Hong Kong children, as they must be prepared for education in two very different languages by the time they enter primary school, when they will be subject to rigorous testing culminating in an all-important school-leaving examination.
These academic pressures make it challenging for preschools to get Hong Kong children “school ready” while still addressing their pupils’ long-term development.
“We shouldn’t just prepare students in terms of academic content in early childhood, but rather give them foundational skills in problem-solving and self-efficacy,” says educator Dr Ng Mei-lee. “Only this way can children be socially, physically and mentally ready for schooling.”
