Hong Kong students must embrace creativity to complete globally

South China Morning Post

6 days ago

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Hong Kong's education system stands at a critical crossroads. While our students consistently achieve impressive academic outcomes, our exam-focused framework is insufficient for preparing them to navigate a rapidly evolving world.
Technological disruption , global uncertainties and complex societal shifts demand far more from students than rote memorisation and standardised responses – they require creative thinking.
Creativity in education is often misunderstood as merely artistic talent or extracurricular enrichment. Fundamentally, creative learning involves cultivating essential skills: critical thinking, problem-solving and adaptability.
This point was brought home at last week's Knowledge Exchange Festival in Hong Kong, organised by the non-profit organisation Aftec with funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. There, Professor Anne Bamford, who's known for her research in creativity and lifelong learning, emphasised the urgent need for creative education. She said, 'To cope with all these challenges – globalisation, rapid technological changes, AI – you need an immense amount of creativity.'
Hong Kong's schools, however, typically discourage creative expression through an emphasis on standardised testing and rigid curriculums. This approach promotes conformity. The consequences are evident: while Hong Kong students excel at examinations, their
below-average ranking in creative thinking in a recent global assessment suggests they may struggle to cope with real-world challenges – a significant disadvantage in today's innovation-driven landscape.
By contrast, Singapore scored first in the global assessment. At last week's event, May Tan, a director at Singapore's National Arts Council, explained how Singapore intentionally integrates creativity into education from early childhood, noting that sustained creative education significantly improves students' adaptability and lifelong engagement.