在家自學違法？
2014年8月27日
【明報專訊】現時香港政府規定所有年齡介乎6至15歲未完成中三的兒童，須在學校接受9年免費普及基礎小學及初中教育。根據《教育條例》（第279章）第74條，教育局常任秘書長可向無合理辯解而又未有安排適齡孩子入學的家長發出入學令，家長有法律責任確保子女定時上學。若家長沒有合理辯解而堅拒送子女入學，即屬違法。
教局不鼓勵 按個別情跟進
根據教育局給我們的電郵回覆，局方強調不鼓勵家長安排子女在家施教以取代學校教育，現時「在家學習」的個案仍當缺課個案處理，局方會派員與家長及學童面談及家訪，勸喻及輔導家長讓子女上學。但若屬特殊個案仍會以學生的利益為大前提，就個別情及《教育條例》條文執行及跟進。局方指現時仍未有批核任何「在家學習」的個案，不過會就個別情作出跟進，現時仍有小量的「在家學習」個案需要跟進。
8/27/2014
3/27/2014
英基7子 劍橋IGCSE試 全球最高分
英基7子 全球最高分
晴報
3/27/2014
英基7子 全球最高分
英基屬下英皇佐治五世學校五位學生，在劍橋IGCSE試奪佳績；其中Narumi Wong獲附加數學全球最高分。
【晴報專訊】劍橋大學國際考試委員會公布了去年劍橋IGCSE考試（國際普通中學教育文憑）得獎名單，英基學校協會有七位學生考獲「全球最高分」，成為尖子中的尖子，秘訣是了解出題趨勢，再為自己定下高目標，而先決條件是對科目有興趣。
在附加數學一科考滿分而獲得「全球最高分」的學生Narumi Wong，現年十六歲，就讀英皇佐治五世學校，在該考試中亦獲得十一個A*的成績。
秘訣：目標要高 興趣為先
她形容，讀書需要有決心、堅忍，加上努力，才能成功，「我為自己定下非常高的標準，無論要下多少苦功也要達到這些目標！同樣地，要考取好成績，先決條件是要有學習動力及對科目有興趣。」
http://easss.com/books
另一位十六歲滿分數理尖子羅永彥，就讀西島中學，去年考試在國際數學科獲「全球最高分」。他說，小學時數學成績差，父母因此安排每周一次補習以「惡補」數學，然後每日做半小時至一小時的額外數學練習，風雨不改，因而慢慢愛上了該科，升中後數學成績突飛猛進，年年排名全級首三位，毋須再補習。
堪稱校內數一數二的數學尖子，被問到同學有否向他偷師時，他笑言沒有，形容自己作風低調。他考試的備戰方法，是做過去五年的考試試題，「我認為要在考試中突圍而出，必需要準確了解出題趨勢及答題要求。」
尖子：都滿足 但無驚喜
他又說，今次取得滿分「都滿足，但無驚喜」，因為去年也取得滿分的師兄曾說滿分不難獲取。
羅永彥在附加數學一科，亦取得94分的佳績，未來目標是修讀數學及經濟，他暫時最心儀港大或中大，其次是前往加拿大或英國升大學。
英基去年約有一千名學生參加八千多場GCSE/IGCSE考試，包括三十六個科目。其中56％考試場次取得了A*或A等級的成績，百分之94％取得A*至C等級。
形式如會考 港生數理科佔優
現代海外升學營運總監梁惠冰指，IGCSE考試形式與本港舊學制的中學會考（HKCEE）大致相同，課程內容稍較HKCEE容易，過往不少本港名校及國際學校學生均會報考，而港生在數理科、會計科等一向較外國學生有優勢。
英孚教育大中華區升學總監黃旭俊表示，考IGCSE最重要熟讀課程綱要，並做歷年試卷，熟習考題形式及掌握出題範圍，由於當局問題形式近年有所變化，故建議做近五年試卷便可。
黃續指，近年IGCSE的歷史科、地理科等社會科學試卷，較多開放式題目，考生作答時應以課程理論作基礎，再加上自己的見解，會較易獲取好成績。他亦稱，港生在數理等科目，一向有優勢，港生報考時可作考慮。
Senate House Education總監倫穎豪指，香港學生過往在IGCSE亦屢有佳績，主要源於IGCSE考試形式較着重背誦，與本港制度相近，這對港生會較有利。他指雖然IGCSE最低要求只需報六、七科，然而，有志報讀牛津、劍橋等名校的學生，宜報考八至十科。
晴報
3/27/2014
英基7子 全球最高分
英基屬下英皇佐治五世學校五位學生，在劍橋IGCSE試奪佳績；其中Narumi Wong獲附加數學全球最高分。
【晴報專訊】劍橋大學國際考試委員會公布了去年劍橋IGCSE考試（國際普通中學教育文憑）得獎名單，英基學校協會有七位學生考獲「全球最高分」，成為尖子中的尖子，秘訣是了解出題趨勢，再為自己定下高目標，而先決條件是對科目有興趣。
在附加數學一科考滿分而獲得「全球最高分」的學生Narumi Wong，現年十六歲，就讀英皇佐治五世學校，在該考試中亦獲得十一個A*的成績。
秘訣：目標要高 興趣為先
她形容，讀書需要有決心、堅忍，加上努力，才能成功，「我為自己定下非常高的標準，無論要下多少苦功也要達到這些目標！同樣地，要考取好成績，先決條件是要有學習動力及對科目有興趣。」
http://easss.com/books
另一位十六歲滿分數理尖子羅永彥，就讀西島中學，去年考試在國際數學科獲「全球最高分」。他說，小學時數學成績差，父母因此安排每周一次補習以「惡補」數學，然後每日做半小時至一小時的額外數學練習，風雨不改，因而慢慢愛上了該科，升中後數學成績突飛猛進，年年排名全級首三位，毋須再補習。
堪稱校內數一數二的數學尖子，被問到同學有否向他偷師時，他笑言沒有，形容自己作風低調。他考試的備戰方法，是做過去五年的考試試題，「我認為要在考試中突圍而出，必需要準確了解出題趨勢及答題要求。」
尖子：都滿足 但無驚喜
他又說，今次取得滿分「都滿足，但無驚喜」，因為去年也取得滿分的師兄曾說滿分不難獲取。
羅永彥在附加數學一科，亦取得94分的佳績，未來目標是修讀數學及經濟，他暫時最心儀港大或中大，其次是前往加拿大或英國升大學。
英基去年約有一千名學生參加八千多場GCSE/IGCSE考試，包括三十六個科目。其中56％考試場次取得了A*或A等級的成績，百分之94％取得A*至C等級。
形式如會考 港生數理科佔優
現代海外升學營運總監梁惠冰指，IGCSE考試形式與本港舊學制的中學會考（HKCEE）大致相同，課程內容稍較HKCEE容易，過往不少本港名校及國際學校學生均會報考，而港生在數理科、會計科等一向較外國學生有優勢。
英孚教育大中華區升學總監黃旭俊表示，考IGCSE最重要熟讀課程綱要，並做歷年試卷，熟習考題形式及掌握出題範圍，由於當局問題形式近年有所變化，故建議做近五年試卷便可。
黃續指，近年IGCSE的歷史科、地理科等社會科學試卷，較多開放式題目，考生作答時應以課程理論作基礎，再加上自己的見解，會較易獲取好成績。他亦稱，港生在數理等科目，一向有優勢，港生報考時可作考慮。
Senate House Education總監倫穎豪指，香港學生過往在IGCSE亦屢有佳績，主要源於IGCSE考試形式較着重背誦，與本港制度相近，這對港生會較有利。他指雖然IGCSE最低要求只需報六、七科，然而，有志報讀牛津、劍橋等名校的學生，宜報考八至十科。
1/11/2014
Legal loophole opens up chance for homeschooling - China
Legal loophole opens up chance for homeschooling
Mainland parents who want alternative to rigid education take advantage of 'official oversight'
7 January, 2014
Karen Lee
Should parents be allowed to educate their children at home?
A legal loophole has opened the way for an increasing number of mainland parents who are disillusioned with the education system, amid more and more reports of child abuse in schools, to follow a controversial overseas practice.
Subject to regulations, homeschooling is legal not only in many Western countries including Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States, but also in Asian nations such as India and Indonesia as an alternative to the conventional school system.
Chinese law does not allow for homeschooling. The Compulsory Education Law, promulgated in 1986, mandates nine years of education for all children at registered schools, whether public or private.
Music
Homeschooling beyond kindergarten is, in theory, illegal. But official oversight has allowed more parents to teach their children at home or send them to home schools run by like-minded parents or private tutors.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, a Beijing-based research institute found in a recent survey that, of the 18,000 parents who had expressed interest in homeschooling, about 2,000 had already begun the practice. The majority cited dissatisfaction with the rigid pedagogy of traditional schools as the main reason, followed by a slow pace of lessons, lack of respect for children, their aversion to school life, and religious factors.
Homeschooling might also be fuelled by a lack of legal protection of minors. In addition to a string of recent revelations of sexual abuse in schools, a culture of corporal punishment among teachers has prompted more parents to consider alternative schooling. In 2012, several high-profile cases of "eye-pulling" and other incidents in kindergartens across Hubei , Zhejiang and Shanxi provinces triggered a public outcry and heightened calls for tougher laws.
At present, child abuse is not an offence under the mainland Criminal Law. The offence of "abuse" applies only to family members without specific provisions for children. Hence, teachers found to have abused their pupils might instead be charged with "provoking a disturbance", an offence punishable with up to five years in prison.
Alternatively, one may stand trial for "harming one's dignity and reputation through violence or other means", which carries a prison term of up to three years. But it requires the victims to first file a lawsuit.
More controversially, child-sex offenders are often charged with "soliciting sex from under-age girls" instead of the far more serious charge of rape.
For now, more than 48 per cent of the parents surveyed were optimistic about the prospect of homeschooling on the mainland. But whether this can go beyond a fad remains a question. For example, homeschooled children are unable to acquire certificates issued by registered schools - a must for those preparing to sit national university entrance examinations, or the gaokao.
It is also uncertain whether homeschooling will be tolerated for long. On December 23, the Communist Party's Central Committee gave its latest instructions on ideological education. According to the guidelines, "core socialist values" should be incorporated into the national curriculum and "cover all schools and those receiving education".
If the education law is enforced seriously amid a tightened ideological climate, the days when children can learn in the comfort of their own homes may be numbered.
Dr Karen Lee is an assistant professor with the Hong Kong Institute of Education's Department of Social Sciences
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Legal loophole opens up chance for homeschooling
Mainland parents who want alternative to rigid education take advantage of 'official oversight'
7 January, 2014
Karen Lee
Should parents be allowed to educate their children at home?
A legal loophole has opened the way for an increasing number of mainland parents who are disillusioned with the education system, amid more and more reports of child abuse in schools, to follow a controversial overseas practice.
Subject to regulations, homeschooling is legal not only in many Western countries including Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States, but also in Asian nations such as India and Indonesia as an alternative to the conventional school system.
Chinese law does not allow for homeschooling. The Compulsory Education Law, promulgated in 1986, mandates nine years of education for all children at registered schools, whether public or private.
Music
Homeschooling beyond kindergarten is, in theory, illegal. But official oversight has allowed more parents to teach their children at home or send them to home schools run by like-minded parents or private tutors.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, a Beijing-based research institute found in a recent survey that, of the 18,000 parents who had expressed interest in homeschooling, about 2,000 had already begun the practice. The majority cited dissatisfaction with the rigid pedagogy of traditional schools as the main reason, followed by a slow pace of lessons, lack of respect for children, their aversion to school life, and religious factors.
Homeschooling might also be fuelled by a lack of legal protection of minors. In addition to a string of recent revelations of sexual abuse in schools, a culture of corporal punishment among teachers has prompted more parents to consider alternative schooling. In 2012, several high-profile cases of "eye-pulling" and other incidents in kindergartens across Hubei , Zhejiang and Shanxi provinces triggered a public outcry and heightened calls for tougher laws.
At present, child abuse is not an offence under the mainland Criminal Law. The offence of "abuse" applies only to family members without specific provisions for children. Hence, teachers found to have abused their pupils might instead be charged with "provoking a disturbance", an offence punishable with up to five years in prison.
Alternatively, one may stand trial for "harming one's dignity and reputation through violence or other means", which carries a prison term of up to three years. But it requires the victims to first file a lawsuit.
More controversially, child-sex offenders are often charged with "soliciting sex from under-age girls" instead of the far more serious charge of rape.
For now, more than 48 per cent of the parents surveyed were optimistic about the prospect of homeschooling on the mainland. But whether this can go beyond a fad remains a question. For example, homeschooled children are unable to acquire certificates issued by registered schools - a must for those preparing to sit national university entrance examinations, or the gaokao.
It is also uncertain whether homeschooling will be tolerated for long. On December 23, the Communist Party's Central Committee gave its latest instructions on ideological education. According to the guidelines, "core socialist values" should be incorporated into the national curriculum and "cover all schools and those receiving education".
If the education law is enforced seriously amid a tightened ideological climate, the days when children can learn in the comfort of their own homes may be numbered.
Dr Karen Lee is an assistant professor with the Hong Kong Institute of Education's Department of Social Sciences
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Legal loophole opens up chance for homeschooling
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