Sustainability Consciousness for the "Green Citizenry": Listening to Voices of Hong Kong Students and Teachers

• In Event: Critical Examinations of Democratic Citizenship in Teacher Education

Abstract

In light of the social and political turmoil, which has been affecting the Hong Kong educational system for the past two years, the paper explores Hong Kong teacher and student perceptions of the Liberal Studies curriculum, its effects on their sustainability consciousness for ‘green citizenry’ under the ‘one country-two systems’ condition. This paper (a) presents results of a qualitative study (31 teacher interviews; 900 student narratives) funded by the Hong Kong government; and (b) explores the culturally-sensitive construct of sustainability consciousness, which moves forward the city’s educational system in the times of uncertainty. This paper argues that the 2021 curriculum shift from global sustainability to localized patriotism and green citizenship might indicate educational involution of the liberal studies in the city.

Author

• Tamara Savelyeva, The Hong Kong Institute of Education for Sustainable Development