hidden curriculum behind the student government

學生會的隱藏課程

What is the hidden curriculum behind the student government?

(ESC(cur) Assignment)

—方潤

(中文譯本 / English original version)

學生會的隱藏課程

前言

談及隱藏課程(hidden curriculum)，我們一般都會想到學校裡的傳統和規矩。它們和學生的課堂生活息息相關。可是，課外活動作為教育的重要一環，在隱藏課程中亦佔有很重要的角色。我們也許會忽略了，課外活動將學生塑造成公民的過程。

在本文中，我會集中於討論「學生會」(Student Government)而非其他課外活動，因為學生會在在反映了學校和學生之間的政治關係。學生從這個關係中學到的東西，將會影響他們日後身為公民的作為。揭露這背後的隱藏課程，對於建立香港民主的公民社會，十分重要。

學生會

「學生會」(Student government)泛指學校裡的自治團體，雖然中文大都稱為「學生會」，英文名稱卻可稱為「Student Union」、「Students' Association」、「Student Council」等等。¹

一般而言，每間學校都只有一個學生會。它是校中最大的學生組織，代表全體學生。學生會的代表性是極其重要的，而代表性則來自選舉²。這令學生會與校中其他的學生組織—例如社、班會、學會等—有很大的分別。

在中學裡，學生會通常都以福利提供者和活動統籌者的身份出現。它提供很多常規服務，例如售賣影印卡、康樂運動物用借用等，視乎該學生會所能動用的資源而定。它也可能會在一些學校的大型活動中—例如運動會、開放日等—協調其他學生組織的活動，視乎學校的政策而定。

可是，有些人會認為學生會(Student government)的名稱有所誤導。因為它根本管(govern)不著校內的任何事務，若與大學學生會比較，就更明顯了。

在大學，學生會同樣是校內最大的學生組織，也代表了全體學生(至少，代表全體本科生)。可是，大學學生會再不只是一個福利提供者和活動統籌者，它尚要負責監察校內其他的學生組織，和就校政和社會問題代表學生發言。

如此種種都是中學學生會所欠缺的。在學生會中，常有兩個口號﹕學生自治(autonomy)和師生共治(co-management)。

自治指學生管理自己的事務。顧名思義，學生事務就是學生「自己」的事務，所以應該由學生—而不是老師—去決定。

共治指在校政上的合作。學生在校內學習和生活，自然會受校方決定的直接影響。為了保障學生的權益，所以學生應該有權參與校政。

當然，自治和共治的口號都是出自學生對權益的訴求。但這可能與校方的權益有所衝突，所以校方往往對學生會施加限制。

校方對自治和共治的限制

所有中學的學生會都是校方的附屬組織。它們不是獨立組織，自然要向校方負責。通常負責課外活動的老師都會成為學生會的顧問³。這是一個合理的措施，因為中學生大都未成年，未夠成熟，可能做出錯誤的決定。所以有顧問老師就學生會的運作提供意見和輔導，這是好的。

可是，由於老師無論在學識或權力上，都比學生優越，老師便容易成為學生心中的權威(儘管老師的權威性已比往昔大大降低)。這種不平衡的關係會令學生傾向跟隨老師的「權威意見」。尤其是，能夠成為學生代表的，大都是老師眼中的「好學生」。慣於挑戰校方的學生就算在選舉階段，也很難得到老師的認可和支持⁴。

這對學生會的自治構成極大阻力。舉個例子，母校的學生會多年前曾建議舉辦聖誕舞會，但被校方否決了。雖然，校方在歷屆學生會要求下，多年後終於同意舉辦，但這亦顯示出校方如何在一項純內政上影響學生會的自決權(那舞會只招待同學，根本不容外人參與)。⁵一個在1993年進行的問卷調查亦顯示，大約70%的課外活動，都由老師主導⁶。

由於校方深入地「影響」學生會的施政，學生代表根本就沒有學習自治的機會。在本人的中學生涯中，只有兩三年見過學生會的財政報告。他們似乎忘記向同學負責，而轉向顧問老師負責了。⁵

再者，有些學校已不能滿足於僅僅「影響」學生會，而要「控制」它了。本人從新界北區某名校的學生得知，該校老師在學生會選舉投票，而且還佔影響力還佔總票數三成之多。亦即是老師的一票等於同學的幾票。這樣的會還可以稱得上「學生會」嗎﹖⁵

既然學校不讓學生會自治，就更不可能與之共治了。就算大學的委員會中有學生代表，他們仍受制於大學當局的程序和規則⁷。一個中學學生會如果可以參與校方會議、又或者校方經常向它詢問校政意見的話，可是頗「異常」的。

我們教了學生甚麼﹖

—紙面課程 vs. 隱藏課程

雖然課外活動不像學校的科目一樣列入正規課程，卻是全人教育的必要部分⁸。學校必須為她的課外活動訂立目標，這些聲稱的目標就是「官方」的紙面課程。

學生會的「紙面課程」就記載在她們的會章之中。1982年，香港中文大學教育文憑課程學生梁玉成先生，曾分析過當時18個中學學生會的會章²，結果如下﹕

從表中可知，學校大都希望學生會達致下列的目標﹕

促進福利

促進團結

培養責任感

培養自治和領導能力

推廣活動

同學友誼

這裡面也包含了一些自治和共治的元素(自治和領導、公民意識﹔參與校政﹔與校方溝通)。很多學校都意識到學生會對培養學生自治和領導能力的重要性，但只有很少學校意識到師生共治的重要。

這是八十年代中對學生會的一個小研究，由於缺乏後續研究，我們無法推論「目標」如何隨時間演變。可是，由觀察(「學生會」部分)可知，福利、德育和活動仍是現在學生會的最主要任務。所以這個研究始終提供了一些參考資料。

可是，就如我們所知，在任何教育系統中，紙面課程的背後，必有一隱藏課程⁹。學校對學生會的反應其實就反映了這個隱藏的課程。那麼我們從學校對學生會施加的限制之中(「校方對自治和共治的限制」)，可以看出甚麼隱藏課程呢﹖

就如先前的討論，學校透過顧問老師影響學生會，是因為學生不成熟的緣故。「不成熟」背後的原因相當政治性，因為校方恐怕一個「自治」的學生會會為校方帶來麻煩，無論這些麻煩是來自錯誤(或違法)的決策也好、挑戰校政也罷。¹⁰

在這些種種因素背後，其實展露出校方對學生的不信任。他們不相信學生有能力、有權利、和有需要進行自治和共治。

一個明顯的例子來自大學。當某校方高層解釋為何要保留對教務會學生委員的「限制事項」時，他表明大學當局在需要保密的事項上，並不相信學生代表的能力和誠信。⁵雖然我們沒親耳聽過中學界有人說過同樣的話，但這個例子仍能解釋，為何學生會身上披上了重重枷鎖。

另一方面，由於學生的「不成熟」，校方很落力地控制學生會的活動。就如先前所言，學生代表根本沒有機會學習自治，變成只向顧問老師(而非同學)負責。這只是官僚政治(bureaucracy)，而非民主政治(democracy)。

這在共治層面上是相同的。在中國傳統文化中，平民不應該質疑官僚的決定。¹¹這個傳統在學校延續，所有學生都應該服從校方的決定，而不應該質疑。

總而言之，校方對學生的不信任、和學生對校方的順從，構成了學生會背後的主要隱藏課程。缺乏自治的學生會成為缺乏民主的學生會。

學生會中的教育理想

有些人可能會說，學生自治和師生共治的訴求只是學生和校方之間的權力鬥爭。在校政上—就算是課外活動—學生都沒有充分的知識。只有老師可以憑專業知識作出正確的決定。這可說是一個反對學生自治和師生共治的「專業」觀點。

可是，我會從「教育」觀點著手看這個問題。教育的目標是「人」，是為了培養現代社會的未來公民。⁵如果我們希望我們的社會有民主和法治，如果我們覺得一個「好公民」應該關注和參與社會事務的話，我們就應該讓學生在學校裡學會這樣做。^{5, 12}

學校是學習民主最好和最安全的地方。這裡有學校的資源，有老師的協助。學生可以逐漸學會如何實踐民主，和成為未來的好公民。多花時間和些微的混亂，都是民主的代價，學校應該支持和忍耐。

如果我們的學校也不民主，香港又怎可能變得民主呢﹖

結論

學生自治和師生共治對於未來公民的成長都十分重要，亦是建設民主社會所必須。

可是，我們的學校基於對學生的不信任，對他們施加了很多限制。這種學校與學生之間荒謬的不信任—服從關係(distrust-and-obedient relationship)就構成了學生會背後的主要隱藏課程，亦對培養更好的公民和社會造成窒礙。

為了讓未來的公民和社會變得更好，學校應該忍耐「費時」和「混亂」這些民主的代價，和對學生提供更大的支援。

註﹕

1. 周陳文琬，附錄 2 - 13。

2. 馮以浤〈中學學生會的功能和組織〉，《課外活動參考資料》, pp 27 - 31.

3. 周陳文琬，附錄 11, 13、

香港課外活動統籌主任協會資料組〈學生會的註冊手續〉、馮以浤〈中學學生會的功能和組織〉，《課外活動參考資料》, pp 21 - 31。

4. 例子見程介南〈學生會三題〉，《課外活動》, pp 235 - 239。

5. 方富潤 (2003)

6. 馮以浤等〈香港中學課外活動(1983-1993)調查報告〉，《課外活動》, pp 67 - 99。

7. 見參考書目中「網上資料」。

8. 黃顯華〈課外活動﹕定義、研究與展望〉，《課外活動》, pp 1 - 7。

9. Marsh, C.J. (1997)

10. 郭弼〈課外活動的拓展〉、馮以浤〈中學學生會的功能和組織〉，《課外活動參考資料》, pp 13 - 15, 27 - 31。

11. 「肉食者謀之，又何閒焉」—曹劌論戰，《左傳》

12. Morris, P. (1996)

參考書目﹕

[印刷資料﹕]

1. 《課外活動參考資料》，課程發展編輯委員會，香港1986年。

2. 周陳文琬《學生活動手冊》，中文大學出版社，香港1989年。

3. 陳德恆編《課外活動-香港課外活動主任協會十週年文集》(《課外活動》)，廣角鏡，香港1994年。

4. Morris, P., The Hong Kong School Curriculum: Development, Issues and Policies, Hong Kong University Press, 2nd Edition, 1996, 11 - 22.

5. Marsh, C.J., Perspectives: Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum 1, New Edition, The Falmer Press, 1997, 33-39.

6. 方富潤〈由「學生自治」到「師生共治」-從中學到大學的觀察〉，《中大四十年》，香港中文大學學生會，香港2003年。(in print)

[網上資料﹕]

7. 梁伯能〈有關設立教務會書院學生委員議席及取消學生委員保留事項事宜〉，香港中文大學學生會，1999年9月29日。(http://logic.csc.cuhk.edu.hk/%7Ez044122/sch%5Frep/2909_senate.html)

8. 中大學生會等聯署〈校方一再逃避校巴問題﹗〉，1999年9月30日。

(http://logic.csc.cuhk.edu.hk/%7Ez044122/sch%5Frep/bus_0930.html)

9. 梁柏能〈教務會學生委員報告〉，香港中文大學學生會，1999年10月13日。

(http://logic.csc.cuhk.edu.hk/%7Ez044122/sch%5Frep/1310%5Fsenate.html)

10. 〈「我就是大學」─推動校園民主的重要性〉，香港大學學生會，2000年。

(http://www.hku.hk/hkusu/select-vc/pub3.html)

11. 張韻琪〈擴建﹖且慢﹗﹗香港大學學生會就校方提出的校園擴建計劃之回應〉，香港大學學生會，2000年3月21日。(http://www.hku.hk/hkusu/press/20000321.html)

12. 許少英〈大學是黑箱？校長乃獨裁者乎？〉，香港中文大學學生會，2001年9月10日。

(http://logic.csc.cuhk.edu.hk/~z044122/response/010910.htm)

13. 周峻任〈大學不應向市場叩頭〉，《大學道》第六期，香港教育專業人員協會，2002年5月。

(http://www.hkptu.org.hk/ptu/director/pubdep/taihoktao/006/402.htm)

14. 〈大學法，學子爭取自訂一套〉，教育新聞，台灣《教育研究月刊》，2002年12月。

(http://www.edujournal.com.tw/news/9112/911215%2D2.shtml)

15. 〈「修訂大學法學生權益政策自主論壇」專案摘要〉，行政院青年輔導委員會，2002年12月。

(http://site1.nyc.gov.tw/subsidy/e15.htm)

(English original version)

What is the hidden curriculum behind the student government?

Preface

When talking about the hidden curriculum, we may look at the traditions and rules in the schools. They are closely related to the lesson time, and the students' life in classroom. However, extra curricula activities (ECA), as an important component of education, also play a major role in the hidden curriculum. We may ignore how ECA shapes our students into citizens.

In this essay, I will focus on the "student government" rather than the other kinds of ECA, as it represents the political-relationship between the school and the students. What students learn from this relationship will affect how they act as a citizen in the society. To unveil this hidden curriculum is very important for building a civil society for a democratic Hong Kong.

The Student Governments

"Student government" includes all the student autonomy bodies inside schools. They may have different names like "Student Union", "Students' Association", and "Student Council" etc.¹

Usually, there is only one student government in each school. It is the largest student organization in the school, and represents all the students. Representation is the most important point for the student government, and is achieved by election ². This makes the student government differ from other student organizations in the school, e.g. houses, classes, clubs and societies etc.

In a secondary school, student government usually runs as a welfare provider and activity coordinator. It provides some routine services like photocopying card selling, sports and leisure equipments loan, etc. depending on the types of resources that the particular student government can mobilize. It may also co-ordinate the activities of different student organizations in some important events of the school, e.g. sports day, open day, etc. depending on the schools policy.

However, someone may argue that the name of "student government" is misleading. Because they cannot "govern" anything in the school, which is more obvious when compared with the student unions in universities.

In the university, again, student union is the largest student organization and represents all the students (at least, all undergraduates) in the university. However, it is not a welfare provider and activity coordinator only, it is also responsible in monitoring all other student organizations in the university, and representing student opinions in university and social affairs.

This is what the student government in secondary schools lack of. There are two slogans in the student governments: autonomy and co-management.

Autonomy means the self-governance on the student affairs. By the word, student affairs are the affairs of the students "themselves", so the students, not the teachers, should decide them.

Co-management is the cooperation in decisions of school administration. As the students learn and live in the school, they will be affected by the school decisions directly. To protect the welfare of students, they should have a say on those matters.

Of course, the claim for autonomy and co-management is based on the benefit of the students. Which may be in crash with the benefit of the school. So there are many restrictions to the student government.

Schools restrictions in autonomy and co-management

All the student governments in secondary schools are the affiliates of the school. They are not the independent societies, so they are responsible to the schools. Usually, the teachers responsible for ECA will become the advisors for the student government. ³ This is a reasonable measure, because students in the secondary schools are still not adults, they may not mature enough and make wrong decisions. So it is good for the teacher advisors to give advice and guidance for their operations.

However, because of teacher's superiority in professional knowledge and power, teacher became an authoritative character among students. (Although they are less authoritative than before already) This imbalance relationship drives students to obey the "authoritative opinions" from the teachers. Especially, the student representatives in the student government is usually regarded by the teachers as "good students", the student challenging the school may not get teachers support (approval) in the election stage ⁴.

This exerts great resistance on the autonomy of student government. As an example, the student union in my secondary school proposed for a Christmas ball many years before, but is banned by the school. Although the school let the Union to held Christmas ball finally (after asking for many years), it shows that how school affects student autonomy on a purely "internal affair" (the ball held for schoolmates only, not for the outsiders). ⁵ As a survey conducted in 1993 shows that, about 70% of ECA are dominated by the teachers ⁶.

As the school "affects" the student government deeply, the student representatives have no chance to learn for autonomy. During my secondary life, I have only seen two or three annual financial reports from the Union. It seems that they have even forgotten that they are responsible to the students, but the teacher advisors. ⁵

Moreover, some schools are even not satisfied in "affecting" the student government merely, but to "control" it. As I heard from the students of a famous school in Northern New Territories, the teachers have a vote in the Union election, and count for 30% in the poll result. It means that a teacher's vote is equivalent to several students' votes. Could it still called a "Student Union"? ⁵

As schools do not allow autonomy in the student governments, there is no co-management of course. Even there are many student representatives in the committees of university, they are still restricted by the university authority by rules and codes ⁷. Which is quite "extraordinary" if a student government in secondary school can join in the staff meeting, or being consult by the school.

What do we teach our students?

- Written curriculum vs. Hidden curriculum

Although ECA is not a formal curriculum when compared with those "subject" disciplines in school, it serves as an essential part of the holistic education indeed. ⁸ It is necessary for the school to declare her objectives for the ECA, these declarations become the "official" written curriculum.

For a student government, the "written curriculum" is declared in her constitution. Mr. Leung Yuk Shing, a Dip. Ed. student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, analyzed 18 constitutions of the secondary schools' student governments in 1982 ², as follow:

From the table, we know that most of the schools regard the student government to achieve the following objectives:

Enhance student welfare

Cooperation spirit

Responsibility

Autonomy and leadership

Promote activities

Friendship between schoolmates

It does include some elements of autonomy (autonomy and leadership, sense of citizenship) and co-management (join the school administration, communicate with the school). Many schools recognize the importance of learning autonomy and leadership skills throughout student government activities, although few of them recognize the importance of co-management in school.

This is a small study for the student governments in 80's, as we lack of further studies afterward, we cannot say anything about the change of "frequencies" among different objectives throughout time. However, by observation (page 1 - 3), welfare, virtue and activities are still the most important "businesses" of the student governments nowadays. So the study still provides some information for reference.

However, as we know, behind the written curriculum, there is always a hidden curriculum in the educational system ⁹. How the school actually response to the student government reflects the hidden curriculum. What hidden curriculum could we drawn from the restrictions placed by schools (page 2 - 3)?

As what we have discussed before (page 2 - 3), the schools affect student governments through teacher advisors, because of the immaturity of students. The reason behind "immaturity" is rather political, the school afraid that an "autonomous" student government will bring troubles to the school, either through the results of wrong (or illegal) actions or the challenges toward school administration. ¹⁰

In the nutshell, all of these show the distrust of school toward students. They do not believe that students have the abilities, the rights, and the needs for autonomy and co-management.

An obvious example comes from the university. When a senior officer of the university explaining why they keep the restrictions on the student representatives in senate, he says that the university did not bank on the ability and honesty of the student representatives, as they need to keep confidence of the senate. ⁵ Although we have not heard anyone in secondary schools say so, this example may still explain why there are so many restrictions on the student governments.

Also, due to the "immaturity" of the students, the school will exert many efforts in controlling activities of the student government. As discussed before (page 2 - 3), student representatives have no chance to learn for autonomy, and are just responsible to the teacher advisors (but not the students). This is a kind of bureaucracy, not democracy.

That is the same in the field of co-management. As the tradition in Chinese culture, the commons should not challenging the bureaucrats' decisions.¹¹ The tradition maintains in the schools, all the students should be obedient to the school administration, but not to doubt it.

To sum-up, the distrust of school toward students and the obedient of students towards school forms the main hidden curriculum behind the student governments. And the lack of autonomy causes the lack of democracy in the student government.

The ideal of education in the student government

Someone may think that, asking of autonomy and co-management is only related to the political power struggling between students and the school. In the area of school administration, even ECA, students have not enough knowledge. Only teachers can make the right decisions by their professional knowledge. This is the "professional" view against to student autonomy and co-management.

However, I would like to take an "educational" point of view on this question. The target of education is "human", and aims for the future citizens of a modern society. ⁵ If we hope that our society being democratic and rule by law, if we think that a "good citizen" should care and join the social affairs, we should let our students to learn for it in the schools. ^{5, 12}

School is the best and safest place to learn democracy. There are resources from the school, and assistance from the teachers. Students can learn orderly how to do for democracy, and become the good citizens in future. Time and disturbance as the cost of democracy, what the school can do is to support and tolerate it.

How can Hong Kong become democratic when our schools are not?

Conclusion

Student autonomy and co-management for school administration are essential for the growing of future citizens, and the establishment for a democratic society.

However, our schools exert many restrictions on these due to the distrust toward students. The ridiculous distrust-and-obedient relationship between the school and the students forms the main hidden curriculum behind the student governments, and stunt the achievement for better citizens and society.

To achieve the better citizens and society in future, the schools should tolerate the "time wasting" and "disturbance" as the cost of democracy, and provide more support to the students.

Notes:

1. 周陳文琬, appendix 2 - 13.

2. 馮以浤〈中學學生會的功能和組織〉，《課外活動參考資料》, pp 27 - 31.

3. 周陳文琬, appendix 11, 13、

香港課外活動統籌主任協會資料組〈學生會的註冊手續〉、馮以浤〈中學學生會的功能和組織〉，《課外活動參考資料》, pp 21 - 31.

4. An example shown by 程介南〈學生會三題〉，《課外活動》, pp 235 - 239.

5. 方富潤 (2003)

6. 馮以浤等〈香港中學課外活動(1983-1993)調查報告〉，《課外活動》, pp 67 - 99.

7. See "Internet readings" in the reference.

8. 黃顯華〈課外活動﹕定義、研究與展望〉，《課外活動》, pp 1 - 7.

9. Marsh, C.J. (1997)

10. 郭弼〈課外活動的拓展〉、馮以浤〈中學學生會的功能和組織〉，《課外活動參考資料》, pp 13 - 15, 27 - 31.