On the morning of March 13, 2025, Associate Professor Yung Wai Ho, Deputy Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Associate Dean of the Academy of Educational Development and Innovation at the Education University of Hong Kong, delivered a keynote lecture at the 177th Huaxia Curriculum Forum, hosted by East China Normal University (ECNU). Titled “Shadow Education in Hong Kong: Research and Insights,” the forum was moderated by Professor Guo Weiyu and attracted a diverse audience of faculty and students from within and beyond ECNU.

Lecture Highlights

Associate Professor Yung Wai Ho offered a multifaceted perspective on Hong Kong’s shadow education, drawing on his experiences as a student, tutor, and researcher. He covered Hong Kong’s education system and policies, the current state of shadow education, its relationship with mainstream schooling, issues of educational equity, and the role of intelligent technologies, providing profound insights for attendees. Yung began by sharing his personal journey as a student and English tutor, which sparked his research interest in tutoring phenomena. His autobiographical narrative approach has informed his scholarly explorations.

He contextualized Hong Kong’s education system, noting the “3+3+4” structural reform and the high-stakes Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination, a key driver of student pressure and tutoring demand. With relatively lax regulation, Hong Kong’s tutoring landscape includes diverse formats and subjects. Yung compared large and small tutoring agencies, detailing their teaching methods and characteristics. He also introduced two ongoing research projects examining tutoring within Hong Kong’s evolving secondary education ecology and the language learning experiences of disadvantaged minority students.

Yung then analyzed the relationship between shadow and mainstream education, noting that Hong Kong’s tutoring remains exam-oriented, with student preferences for tutors shaped by examination pressures. Addressing educational equity, he highlighted collaborations with NGOs to provide free tutoring for disadvantaged students and the development of AI-driven adaptive learning platforms to enhance access to resources.

In conclusion, Yung emphasized that while technological innovations expand educational possibilities, students’ autonomous learning and agency remain paramount. He called for collaborative efforts to advance educational equity, ensuring quality education for all.

Discussion and Engagement

The interactive session saw lively exchanges between Rong, Guo Weiyu, and attendees, who shared reflections, questions, and insights. Discussions spanned cultural values, societal aspirations for quick success, and the risk of mainstream education mirroring shadow education’s exam-driven tendencies. Key questions emerged: How do we define true education? How can mainstream education foster authentic learning? Participants underscored the importance of intrinsic motivation and agency, reflecting on the kind of lives and societies they aspire to create.

Closing Remarks

The forum concluded with an insightful summary by Professor Guo Weiyu, who emphasized the critical yet challenging role of inner agency. “Agency means everyone can make their own choices,” she noted, highlighting that personal growth depends not only on what we consume but on what we think. Guo framed autonomous learning, holistic education, and comprehensive learning as grounded practices of responsibility, urging collective efforts to address educational challenges and shape a brighter future.