School rules face scrutiny
Exercise of human rights in schools needs further discussion, say critics

By Pearl Lee

Mr. Leung Yan Wing, lecturer at the Hong Kong Institution of Education, said, “Controlling students has become the main theme of school regulations.

“Teachers do not believe in students’ capability to have self-control and respect others.

“Yet, too much emphasis on restrictions will make the regulations lose their original spirit.”

He said restrictions on the colour of shoes was but one example of unnecessary regulations. He argued that a plain style could be required regardless of the colour.

Miss Man Si Wai, lecturer in the Department of Educational Administration and Policy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, said, “The more the rules, the more petty the students are.

“The focus of communication is then shifted to bargaining over the rules rather than thinking and learning. The bargaining mostly occurs during the checking of schoolbags.”

Mr. Chan Ka Kin, a Form 1 student of Kwok Tak Seng Catholic Secondary School, once felt his privacy was being invaded when the whole class’s schoolbags were checked because a classmate lost a purse.

What made him angrier was that the teacher confiscated his photos of pop stars and asked him to get them back with a letter from his parents.

“I have not asked my parents to write the letter because this implies that I have done something wrong,” he said.

Facing criticism, Mr. Koo Chao Ming, principal of Chan’s school, said that prior consultation with students about school regulations is impossible.

Mr. Leung argued, “Students do not have the chance of discussion beforehand and are only informed when rules are put into practice. This makes students feel that their rights are invaded.”

Miss Law Shuk Yee, discipline master of Sheng Kung Hui Holy Spirit Primary School, said that a careful introduction to human rights in school is needed.

“Students may abuse human rights clauses to prevent teachers from correcting their mistakes,” she said. “As a result, students could lose their opportunity to be educated.”

While teachers presume that students will abuse the clauses of human rights, it is also worried that students’ rights would be violated if teachers neglected the students’ rights.

“In some Band 5 schools which are supposed to be bad schools, regulations are manipulated by teachers to expel unwelcome students,” said Miss Man.

She added, “The teachers do not communicate with misbehaving students because they have no confidence to teach them through discussion . They do not believe students can reason.”

Mr. Leung said students’ ability to reason should be a basic assumption of education.

He said discussion is inadequate for students about school policies while it should be a part of the learning process.

On the other hand, he said that human rights had to be carefully restricted in schools. Because while young students need protection, teaching spaces should also be reserved for teachers.

Mr. Koo said that reasonable restrictions can stabilize students’ growth and he always discusses with the student union about school policies.

Said Mr. Kwok Shi Hin, principal of Sheng Kung Hui Holy Spirit Primary School, “We will consider students’ opinions, but they sometimes are too young to give opinions.”

Mr. Leung, however, suggested primary teachers themselves should encourage students to make decisions on minor things. After 6 years of primary school life, secondary students will be experienced enough to participate in deciding school policies.

Nevertheless, he said that insufficient training of teachers and resources would be the main obstacles.

“Every day teachers have to deal with much paperwork and spend a lot of time in teaching the examination-oriented syllabus. Very little time is left for them to coordinate students’ participation,” he said.

April 1996