Education's worth is not measured by the amount of money or resources one spends but by whether one decides to take the initiative to make full use of learning. Hong Kong is a city where students attend schools and receive education at different standards. A lot of times, what education one receives is based on their social status and the amount of resources one's family has. Teenagers at the same age can receive government funded education for free, but they also have the choice to pay more than $10,000 each month to receive "prestigious" education from international schools. Is spending all this money on education really worth it? Is it unfair for children to receive education with such a huge gap? Money will not buy you a quality education, but the student has the choice to make it worthy of its cost.
Having sent me to both local and international schools in Hong Kong, my parents had to make a drastic change in funding education for my brother and me. Looking back to my childhood, I felt like I was dumping my parents' precious money and resources into the deep ocean. Truth by said, I did not make good use of my education. Did it matter how much money you spend on education? One can pay $1000 to attend a school but daydream every day in class and waste the money. However, one can pay $8000 for a prestigious education and make great use of the learning. Which one is worth it? This comparison is not necessarily stating that local students are less favored than international students. This comparison proves that education's worth is in the hands of the students.
Don't get me wrong. Both the schools I attended had bright students with respected grades but there were also students who did not have the passion for learning. The bottom line is, parents should not be convinced that paying more means better grades and better students. Paying more for international school education is sending your child to learn in a unique environment with more freedom and choices which are elements unmatched in local schools. Do I think that my school (CDNIS) is worth it? Yes, if I take the initiative to make the best out of my learning. I think my parents made the right choice to send me to an international school. The education and experience you acquire from school are priceless. One needs to be a risk-taking, reflective student to really let the learning make an influence.
It does not matter which school you go to or how much money you pay for education, the "heart" you are willing to give to learning is the most vital element.
A serious problem which exists in the society of Hong Kong is the huge gap between the rich and the poor. Education in Hong Kong is often regarded as an "unfair arena" where talented young students are left out and cut off because their family cannot afford their education to continue beyond high school. Being big fans of the free market, the Hong Kong government is blindly convinced that the education industry should also work under this policy. What is the free market? Within the free market, the stronger ones will eliminate the weaker ones, but if one has perseverance and determination, one could also become a stronger contestant. However, in a society like Hong Kong, where there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor, young talented students who do not have enough resources are often left out because they don't even have the chance to become strong competitors. If we are putting all the teenagers in Hong Kong in a 100 meter sprint, there would be kids who are 200 meters ahead an there would be kids who don't even get to race. The government needs to spend a lot more resources on government funded schools to assist kids who deserve a better education and can close the gap between the rich and poor.
Education is a chance which students and teenagers have to treasure and make full use of. Education's worth is not measured by the money spent but by the determination and initiative one spends on learning. The Hong Kong government needs to assist students in order for them to have a goal to chase. If they are left out a such a young age, it will be a huge loss for our society. Work hard and make the impossible happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment