Choices for Whom?

Abstract

School choice programs have proliferated around the world since the 1980s. Following this international trend, the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) was launched in 1991 to revitalize Hong Kong's private school sector. DSS schools receive a similar subsidy per student to that received by aided schools, but they may charge fees and have greater control over curricula, entrance requirements, and management than their public school counterparts. Drawing on a number of documents and reports over the period 1987-2006, this article centers on the notion of choice and its related arguments. By revealing the discrepancies between rhetoric and reality, it shows how a policy purporting to appeal to choice, diversity, and competition undermines equality, community, and democracy. Under the provision of DSS, the benefits some parents and schools enjoy by being afforded more choices are often achieved at the expense of fewer choices for others.

Excellence and equity in high-performing education systems: policy lessons from Singapore and Hong Kong / Excelencia y equidad en sistemas educativos de alto rendimiento: lecciones de las políticas educativas en Singapur y Hong Kong

“…As a consequence, parents and students have been given more choices in the quasi-market of education, in which the public sector or government remains a major player acting as a financier, service provider or regulator (J. Tan, 1998Tan, , 2006Tsang, 2011;Tse, 2008;Woo, 2017). Inter-school competition was encouraged with the release of league tables in the case of Singapore, but it was discontinued in the early 2010s.…”

“…En consecuencia, tanto los padres como los estudiantes cuentan con mayor número de opciones en el cuasi-mercado de la educación, en el que el sector público o estatal sigue siendo un actor clave como fuente de financiación, proveedor de servicios o regulador (J. Tan, 1998Tan, , 2006Tsang, 2011;Tse, 2008;Woo, 2017). En el caso de Singapur, con la publicación de tablas de clasificación se fomentó la competencia entre las escuelas, aunque estas se dejaron de publicar a principios de 2010.…”

“…In Hong Kong, the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools, which are an alternative to public sector schools with greater flexibility in areas like resources deployment, curriculum design and student admission, were introduced in the early 1990s. As a consequence, parents and students have been given more choices in the quasi-market of education, in which the public sector or government remains a major player acting as a financier, service provider or regulator (J. Tan, 1998, 2006; Tsang, 2011; Tse, 2008; Woo, 2017). Inter-school competition was encouraged with the release of league tables in the case of Singapore, but it was discontinued in the early 2010s.…”

“…Although the government insisted that the DSS policy was aimed at creating a more diversified schooling system by allowing more choice for parents and students, some traditional top schools which joined the DSS charge relatively high tuition fees above HK$50,000 (US$6,400) per year, which is an amount even higher than local subsidized university programmes charge. This, in effect, means that only middle or upper social class students can afford fees, regardless of the student assistantships or scholarships provided by those DSS schools as stipulated by the government (Tsang, 2011; Tse, 2008; Woo, 2017).…”

“…En Hong Kong, los centros asociados al programa de subvención directa ( Direct Subsidy Scheme o DDS ), una alternativa a las escuelas públicas, con mayor flexibilidad en áreas como el despliegue de recursos, el diseño del currículum o la admisión de estudiantes, fueron introducidos a principios de los 90. En consecuencia, tanto los padres como los estudiantes cuentan con mayor número de opciones en el cuasi-mercado de la educación, en el que el sector público o estatal sigue siendo un actor clave como fuente de financiación, proveedor de servicios o regulador (J. Tan, 1998, 2006; Tsang, 2011; Tse, 2008; Woo, 2017). En el caso de Singapur, con la publicación de tablas de clasificación se fomentó la competencia entre las escuelas, aunque estas se dejaron de publicar a principios de 2010.…”