Patsy Moy
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Hong Kong's next generation needs to "think outside the box" and become more creative so that the territory's economy will stand out from neighboring cities, an expert on innovative management said.Ali Farhoomand, professor of innovation and information management at Hong Kong University, also warned that the SAR's education system, with its rigid and test- based curricula, will dampen motivation and hamper creativity.
"Students here are trained to memorize things instead of trying to understand," Farhoomand said. "They are cramming in so many subjects, and then after class, they have to learn swimming, music, drawing and so on. They learn so many things, but in reality, they learn nothing."
Hong Kong, he said, should develop an innovative economy to survive the fierce global competition, and one way forward is to emulate the education systems of Finland, Spain and South Korea.
Farhoomand said education has played a key role in those three countries, which have successfully transformed their economies into high-value and high-margin models.
Spain's education system focuses on personal attention to students, and learning freedom in terms of pace and scope, to preserve the inquisitive nature of children.
The Finnish model encourages young children to play instead of learning formal numbers and literacy, and, in South Korea, pre- primary education aims at providing an appropriate environment to nurture children and promote their wholesome development through enjoyable activities, with diversified content and methods of instruction.
"People [in Hong Kong] are competing to be the fastest and work the longest hours, as well as being cost-effective," Farhoomand said.
But, the professor said, the old business model is no longer enough for Hong Kong to secure its position when faced with the fast pace of development in mainland cities.
"Bear in mind that Shanghai and Shenzhen are also getting more and more efficient, showing the old success model of Hong Kong can be easily copied by other cities."
Farhoomand said efficiency is no longer sufficient, but thinking is paramount to build an innovative economy, so that Hong Kong can stand out from other places.
Rachel Chan Ka-yee, founder and chief "catalyst" of Innofoco, which provides consultancy services to companies to improve service and build brand equity, agreed that the mind-set of most Hong Kong people has to change, including learning how to slow down and spend more time thinking.
Farhoomand will be among 10 speakers at the March 31 Thought Leaders Forum - The Innovative Imperative: Creating Opportunities in Challenging Times, organized by the Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Hong Kong's next generation needs to "think outside the box" and become more creative so that the territory's economy will stand out from neighboring cities, an expert on innovative management said.Ali Farhoomand, professor of innovation and information management at Hong Kong University, also warned that the SAR's education system, with its rigid and test- based curricula, will dampen motivation and hamper creativity.
"Students here are trained to memorize things instead of trying to understand," Farhoomand said. "They are cramming in so many subjects, and then after class, they have to learn swimming, music, drawing and so on. They learn so many things, but in reality, they learn nothing."
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Farhoomand said education has played a key role in those three countries, which have successfully transformed their economies into high-value and high-margin models.
Spain's education system focuses on personal attention to students, and learning freedom in terms of pace and scope, to preserve the inquisitive nature of children.
The Finnish model encourages young children to play instead of learning formal numbers and literacy, and, in South Korea, pre- primary education aims at providing an appropriate environment to nurture children and promote their wholesome development through enjoyable activities, with diversified content and methods of instruction.
"People [in Hong Kong] are competing to be the fastest and work the longest hours, as well as being cost-effective," Farhoomand said.
But, the professor said, the old business model is no longer enough for Hong Kong to secure its position when faced with the fast pace of development in mainland cities.
"Bear in mind that Shanghai and Shenzhen are also getting more and more efficient, showing the old success model of Hong Kong can be easily copied by other cities."
Farhoomand said efficiency is no longer sufficient, but thinking is paramount to build an innovative economy, so that Hong Kong can stand out from other places.
Rachel Chan Ka-yee, founder and chief "catalyst" of Innofoco, which provides consultancy services to companies to improve service and build brand equity, agreed that the mind-set of most Hong Kong people has to change, including learning how to slow down and spend more time thinking.
Farhoomand will be among 10 speakers at the March 31 Thought Leaders Forum - The Innovative Imperative: Creating Opportunities in Challenging Times, organized by the Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre.
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