1. Introduction
In this article, we will comment on the Senior Secondary Computer Curriculum in Hong Kong from various perspectives. At present, we have three different computer curricula for the senior forms. The first one is the 'S4-S5 Computer and Information Technology Curriculum' which is a new curriculum released in 2003. This is, in fact, a combined and revised version of the old 'S4-S5 Computer Studies Curriculum' and the 'ASL Computer Applications Curriculum'. I shall refer to the subjects taught in the curricula as Information and Computing Technology (ICT)-related subjects. In Hong Kong, it is very strange that we have so many ICT-related subjects, but they have no connection to each other. We shall not discuss how these curricula emerged, but instead, we shall discuss the strength and weakness of them from the education point of view.

2. ICT curriculum should be up-to-date
According to the Education and Manpower Bureau, ICT-related subjects are grouped under the Technology Education Key Learning Area. The ICT-related subjects should be up-to-date and applicable to daily life. What is the meaning of studying ICT-related subjects which cannot be applied to daily life?

Unfortunately the ICT curriculum in Hong Kong is rather out-dated. The 'ASL Computer Applications Curriculum' and 'AL Computer Studies Curriculum' were revised in 1998, which is more than six years ago. in the 'AL Computer Studies Curriculum' there are many outdated topics, like machine logic, which are not taught even in universities nowadays. Another controversial issue is the selection of programming language. Pascal is still taught in the 'AL Computer Studies Curriculum' because Pascal is useful for understanding structured programs and is easy to learn. However, how frustrating a student will be if he have learned Pascal thoroughly but then find he cannot apply it to his Web page.

It is also ridiculous that the programming language specified in the curriculum in the year 2000 was pure Pascal, though the up-to-date language C or Pascal were already developed then. Why not move forward even to C++ or Java? Data Structure is an important topic in Computer Science, but there is not any book teaching Data Structure in Pascal today; the books are all in C++ or Java. I have heard once a teacher said, 'We are teaching programming, not language.' I totally disagree with him because we are talking about Technology Education. Some educators suggest to use 'pseudo code' instead of a specific programming language. We shall discuss this point later.

3. Assessment Problems
On the other hand, the Examination Authority have been trying to amend the outdated 'ASL Computer Applications Curriculum' by adjusting the examination paper. From 2002 onwards, they have placed emphasis on Internet Technology, Database and SQL, and using Spreadsheet to process data. These are all important in computer application today, and I can say they are on the right track. Furthermore, there have not been any question on outdated topics (which exist in the curriculum) since 2000. However, when it comes to the Teacher Assessment Scheme, it becomes a mess. From the sample papers provided by the Examination Authority, it can be seen that there are still many outdated questions in this aspect. These questions are really simple and even a primary student can answer them. If a student follows exactly the standard of these sample papers, we cannot say he is of the 'Advanced Level'. The Teacher Assessment Scheme is actually a poor School-based Assessment which is worth further discussion.

The 'S4-S5 Computer and Information Technology Curriculum' is the best among the three curricula. However, there are still many points that are worth more discussions, for example, fairness in assessment method, the overlap between the Core Modules and Elective Modules, selection of programming languages, etc. Since we do not have any examination paper and statistical figure of this curriculum yet, I am not going to comment on it any more.

4. The Future
According to newly proposed '3-3-4 Senior Secondary Curriculum' the subjects taught in the above three curricula will be combined into a new subject called 'Information and Communication Technology'. The framework of the curriculum will be based on the current 'S4-S5 Computer and Information Technology Curriculum'. After attending the consultation meetings of this new ICT subject, I think the curriculum committee is on the right track, because the new curriculum emphasizes on three areas: Internet Technology, Computer Systems and Information Processing using SQL and Spreadsheet. They are all important in daily application. In addition, it seems that they will introduce a lot of client-server concepts in the Elective Modules. Students will be required to understand security and scripting in both the client and server side within the network environment. If these topics are really added to the curriculum, students will be really learning the technology. Furthermore, it adds diversity to the selection of programming languages: PHP, JSP, XML, ASP, Java, C++, Visual Basic, etc. They are all the hottest languages in use at present, but no one can say which one is the best. Therefore, the use of 'pseudo code' in examination becomes appropriate. Of course, there should be more discussion about this kind of written practical using 'pseudo code'.

In conclusion, I think the development of the ICT curriculum in Hong Kong still faces many uncertainties. Will it be a fading-out subject after the '3-3-4 Senior Secondary Curriculum' is implemented? Will the ICT teachers upgrade themselves so that they can teach the latest technology to their students? For the assessment, will a better assessment method emerge? Personally, I also hope that practical examination will be available, through sponsorship by the IT industry. I think the government should seriously consider that if they really want to boost IT in Hong Kong, they should invest more in IT education so that the modulation on School-based Assessment is based on the student's project itself and not on his written examination, otherwise, the study of ICT will still be examination-oriented.