Article regarding IB on SCMP on Sept 7 2009

nintendo

HK's new diploma gains ground with elite schools
SCMP Sept 7 2009

Leading elite school St Paul's College has decided not to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma as an alternative to Hong Kong's new school-leaving qualification.

The high-achieving boys' secondary is one of three Direct Subsidy Scheme schools to scrap or shelve plans to prepare for offering the IB diploma, while a fourth is introducing it gradually without setting a timetable.

Principal Dr John Kennard said St Paul's had been considering whether to set up an IB programme for the past 18 months but had decided against it because of concerns it would be too restrictive.

"We looked at the IB for 18 months and we decided 'no'," he said. "We didn't want to jump on the bandwagon. We have confidence in the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education. We think that's the right direction and we are sticking with it."

Instead, the Bonham Road school would give students the chance to take the International General Certificate of Secondary Education exams and International A-levels up to two years earlier than usual - in addition to the HKDSE. Both exams are offered by British examination boards.

"I don't think there is a need for an alternative to the HKDSE," Kennard said. "It offers the breadth and depth required. And I think the IB restricts them in the type of subjects they can take. It doesn't allow students to take a large number of subjects within the sciences, for example."

IB programmes have spread rapidly across Hong Kong's international school sector, with the number of authorised schools more than doubling in the past two years from 10 to 22, with those offering the diploma up from six to 14.

In February, Creative Secondary School in Tseung Kwan O became the first DSS school to gain authorisation and it is offering the IB Middle Years Programme. Diocesan Boys School in Mong Kok and St Paul's Co-educational School in Mid-Levels are applying to launch IB diploma programmes in Forms Five and Six, with one-year preparatory courses of their own starting this month and next September respectively.

But as schools embark on teaching the new three-year senior secondary curriculum that leads to the HKDSE, further growth of the IB as an alternative within the DSS sector appears to be slowing.

HKUGA College, near Aberdeen, which declared before its launch in 2006 that it would offer the IB diploma, has dropped the plan. Vice-Principal Sydney Wong Chun-kuen said: "We thought that the staff and manpower would be stretched too thinly if we offered two curriculums."

The HKBU Affiliated Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School in Sha Tin, which was considering the IB when it opened in 2006, is now focusing on the HKDSE. Head of teaching and learning Iris Lau Wai-han said: "Right now what we are doing is offering the local curriculum."

Since it became a DSS school last year, St Stephen's College in Stanley has launched five initiatives including foreign exchanges and a creativity programme. Development office manager Kiki Ko said: "When we started to think about changing to DSS, it was part of our plan to introduce the IB.

"We have registered with the IB but we haven't yet applied for candidate status. We can't confirm the timetable yet, but we intend to include the IB Diploma as an option."

One exception is the Lutheran Academy, due to open next year in Tuen Mun. It plans to offer the IB at all levels. Principal-designate Andy Fung Wa-chau said: "Our plan is to have two classes of the IB and two for the new senior curriculum."

Cheung Siu-ming, principal of Creative Secondary School, which aims to offer the IB Diploma from next September, said: "I don't expect a large number of DSS schools to offer the IB. We would encourage parents not to rush to the IB to escape an untried HKDSE. The danger is that they push their child into something that they are not suited to."

Terence Chang, headmaster of Diocesan Boys School, said: "Our interest in the IB is to provide an appropriate alternative course of study within a government-funded school for students who are aiming to study at universities abroad. If they are staying in Hong Kong, they can still join the local universities but they will be counted as non-Jupas students."

Jupas, or the Joint University Programmes Admissions System, is the centralised admissions system for local university.

As there were more places for students applying through Jupas, the chances of getting into university for non-Jupas students were lower for all except the brightest, Chang said.

Betty Law, head of admissions at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said: "Anybody with an IB Diploma is eligible to apply. Normally, if you have a grade of at least 30, you stand a good chance of getting to HKUST regardless of the subject area."

The University of Hong Kong admitted 43 IB diploma students last year, with scores ranging from 38 to 45.

[ 本帖最後由 nintendo 於 09-9-7 19:55 編輯 ]

nintendo

According to the article, some heads of local schools feel that:

(1) IB is too restrictive ------ Although I do prefer IB, I do agree that IB can be too restrictive for some students.

(2) parents should not choose IB just to escape from local curriculum ------ I just cannot justify why I should have faith in the new local curriculum. In fact, I would choose anything, British, US, Canadian, Australian, etc curriculum than the new local curriculum.

(3) chances of getting into university for non-Jupas students were lower for all except the brightest ------ If we are talking about a score of 30 to get into ANY subject area at all at the HKUST, this is not exactly bright then, right? As far as I heard, the average score of IB at ESF is way above 30.

[ 本帖最後由 nintendo 於 09-9-7 20:08 編輯 ]

WYmom

I think for most local schools, it is very logical for them not to go for IBD if most of their students target at local universities.  The cost and resources of running IBD is very high and may not worth it.  Besides, students who are more all-rounded (can do both Art and Science) may be more suitable to take IBD.  

It is difficult for a school to offer 2 streams (local and IBD) as the resources required will be higher.  If only a small portion of students take IBD, they may not have enough choices of subjects within a school, if then, IBD will become really "restrictive" to them.

[ 本帖最後由 WYmom 於 09-9-7 20:29 編輯 ]

mattsmum

not surprised, IB is expansive and school cannot run both local system and IB.

emmamay

Also, I doubt whether those local school teachers are qualified enough to teach IB programme.

lo_bobo

exactly....teacher in local school has not experience for the IB subject.

If they are going to run the IB program, they should forfeit the current practice......they cannot use the traditional method for teaching IB subject.....:;pppp: