That response is understandable. Education has helped generations of Hong Kong families improve their circumstances and academic discipline remains one of the city’s strengths. However, lessons and examinations cannot prepare young people for every difficult decision.
They also need adults who are willing to sit down with them, listen carefully and speak honestly about work, failure and the choices they may face.
Over the years, through my work with students, I have met young people whose grades opened an important door, yet who still felt lost when they moved overseas, chose a career or faced their first serious setback. In those moments, what they often needed was not another class, but a conversation with someone who had been there before.
This led me to believe that Hong Kong underuses one of its greatest resources: the experience of its own people.