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BACKGROUND
The 21st century
will be a dynamic and fast-changing age. It will be absolutely necessary
to go beyond formal education, which is now recognised to be extremely
limited both in scope and in novelty, even at the university level, in
order to cope with the ever- changing and ever-increasing demands made
on us in our professions, in technology-based communications and in interpersonal
relationships.
Furthermore, to
keep abreast of rapid upgrading and modification in knowledge bases and
technical details in any field, one will need to go through ret-raining
and even re-education from time to time. With updating cycles becoming
ever-shorter, the need to "refresh" one's knowledge and skills will become
so much greater within short time-spans.
In a more pragmatic
vein, it has been reported over and over again that most university graduates
in Hong Kong are not able to live up to their employers' expectations,
in particular as regards communication skills and problem-solving abilities.
In short, it seems that our graduates did not master the ability to learn
and acquire skills on the job, and to make crucial and necessary readjustments
to changed and changing circumstances, something that bookwork alone could
not have empowered them. Therefore, to ameliorate the situation, young
people must perceive the need to take up and seriously engage in lifelong
learning, particularly with a practical aim.
As lifelong learning
is by definition a self-initiated and goal-directed undertaking that one
engages in for life, what we as pedagogues and educators can hope to achieve,
in promoting lifelong learning among secondary students (who will very
soon become young people living and working in Hong Kong society), is
to make these young people aware of the need for lifelong learning; and
then show them how best to go about it. It is hoped that after an initial
"reorientation process" they will be full-fledged self-motivated lifelong
learners ready and able to embark on a lifelong quest for knowledge, skills
and visions.
Current
State in Northwest New Territories
NW NT has a population
of about 870,000 representing some 13% of Hong Kong's total population.
Most of these people are young --- median age being 32. However, the average
monthly household income in this part of Hong Kong is lower than that
in the rest of the SAR, entailing the fact that self-betterment and striving
for better quality of life may be driving forces in the near future. One
of the key motivators in lifelong learning is the desire to improve one's
economic and material conditions through obtaining better qualifications
and acquiring sophisticated skills, because this desire sustains and keeps
sustaining people, esp. young people, in the pursuit of knowledge and
skills.
The role
of Lingnan University in the Project
Lingnan University
is advantageously positioned in the heart of this part of the SAR, radiating
to reach out to all schools and other sectors of the academic and professional
community in Northwest New Territories. At the same time Lingnan University
has always been perfectly connected to and with diverse individuals, groups,
organisations, and institutions, in endeavours to promote learning, research
and community work. Indeed, the establishment of the Tuen Mun campus was
in great measure motivated by this institution's intimate relationships
with the local community and its historical as well as geographical background.
In more concrete
terms, it should be noted that Lingnan University has already been running
training/development workshops for school teachers in Northwest New Territories;
rendering consultancy services in school library networking and automation.
Through this collaborative project, Lingnan University intends to help
schools to set up a school-based lifelong learning programme for students,
as well as a school library network to be maintained and developed even
after the expiry of the project tenure.
In the Teaching
and Learning Centre (TLC) of Lingnan University, teaching and learning
development expertise and experience is readily available. TLC staff are
happy and ready to undertake collaborative work with schools, and to provide
consultancy service on programme planning, and training of teachers for
lifelong learning.
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