The massification of education in Hong Kong: Effects on the equality of opportunity, 1981-1991

Hong Kong's commitment to free schooling in the 1970s led to a massification of its formerly elite education system. Analysis of census data reveals that, consequently, family background and gender have played smaller roles in determining which children go to secondary school. There was no concomitant increase in social selection at the postsecondary level Ironically, the colonial government owed little of its legitimacy to the provision of equal opportunities for individuals. In years past, social mobility was not central to the rationale for public education. However, with the pending transfer of sovereignty to China, the weakened authority of the government has generated a need for new bases of legitimacy. It may be that guarantees of equal opportunity will emerge in attempts to bolster state authority.