ABSTRACT
Education is taken seriously by the people of Hong Kong. The quest for improved prospects and prosperity through educational achievement that characterises Hong Kong’s culture was reinforced by fears concerning the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. The consequences of those fears are such that throughout the school years, at primary as well as secondary levels, the focus is on academic curricula and examinations; teaching by expository methods; and learning by ritual, rote or drill. For teacher preparation and development the implications of such circumstances are acute.
