Education - The First Hurdle

Have you ever studied with language minority students in your school before?

Most Hong Kong local students actually lack opportunities to get along with minority students. Even, [1]according a study by University of Hong Kong and Policy 21 Limited in 2012, in local student’s view, they believed that they have no sufficient knowledge about South Asians as there has no related education in Hong Kong school.

Though minority students seems to be an invisible group in Hong Kong, [2]the school attendance rates of minorities is just slightly lower than the local, which is 86.9%, 75.7% and 13.8% for age groups 3-5, 17-18 and 19-24. Despite that it was relatively less common than that of local group (which is 91.3%, 86.0% and 43.8% for same age group of whole population), there should be quite a number of minorities accepting the same education with us. (Census and Statistics Department,2012)

Then, where do they go?

Zarifa, one of our interviewees, is studying in University of Hong Kong. Before that, she was from HKMA David Li Kwok Po College in Tai Kwok Tsui. She have said that she get along with the local students well in both secondary school and University, having some local friends as well. Although her Chinese is not good enough, she comes to HKU by the good result of her applied language subject, France, and the GCSE Chinese subject results. And what Zarifa think also consistent with the 2012 study, minority students thought that they have no problems of getting along with the local, like playing together, doing works or making friends. They have not been discriminated in Hong Kong.

Yet, is it the whole part of the reality?

[3]In website of Hong Kong Unison, we can see that there are only few designated schools in school year 2011/12 (20 primary schools with 10 secondary schools). Under education policy in HK now, all children must go to school to adopt education. [4]But if think deeply, as minorities have weaker ability on learning Chinese, if they are under same Chinese curriculum with the local in school other than designated schools, it have already been a kind of indirect discrimination as it cannot answer their need. (Carmichael, S., 2009)

[5]Having shown in the 2012 study, numerous language minority students have difficulties in accepting the same Chinese curriculum with the local. And some schools may have some tutorial classes to help the minorities to catch up with the others, but in fact most of these classes, if not all, cannot meet their target; some cannot satisfy minorities’ need, while some even make minorities have same tutorial class with the local which have lower academic standard, that means it does not focus on Chinese subject but others. Less care on Chinese education of minorities, and worse performance they have in public examination,[6] hence cause the lower their tertiary education attendance than the local. (Census and Statistics Department, 2011)

In Hong Kong, Chinese as a main communication medium, it is one of the important criteria in the future career path. Yet, before facing the challenges in career, language minorities have first faced barrier of public examination, with their poor equipment of Chinese. And nowadays, the lowest standard for Chinese subject entering University is level 3 in HKDSE, though other examinations like GCSE can also be accepted, how many of them can really overcome this barrier?

The problem can only be solved through improving the education system and improve the supporting materials such as equipped teachers who can teach Chinese as second language. [7]Though the Education Bureau decided to launch a brand new Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework in a recent year (Education Bureau, 2014), a hot debate has, therefore, caused on its feasibility and viability. Despite that Hong Kong government lacks of related experience, it is not an excuse for them to turn a blind eye on this difficulty. Action should be taken. Otherwise, more and more minorities would be sacrificed under the current looped education system.

[1] Centre for Civil Society and Governance; The University of Hong Kong; Policy

21 Limited. “Study on Racial Encounters and Discrimination Experienced by South Asians”, 2012. 11.

[2]Census and Statistics Department. Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities. Accessed April 4, 2015, http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/EM.pdf. 47;51.

[3]Hong Kong Unison. “Designated School List in the 2011/12 School Year.”

Last modified 2011. Accessed on April 3, 2015, http://www.unison.org.hk/DesignatedSchoolList.php.

[4]Carmichael Sarah. “Language rights in education: a study of Hong Kong’s linguistic minorities.” Centre for Comparative and Public Law, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong, November 2009. Accessed on 29th March, 2014. https://www.law.hku.hk/ccpl/pub/Documents/Occasional_Paper_19.pd, 27-30.

[5]Centre for Civil Society and Governance; The University of Hong Kong; Policy

21 Limited. “Study on Racial Encounters and Discrimination Experienced by South Asians”, 2012. 10.

[6]Census and Statistics Department. Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities. Accessed April 4, 2015, http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/EM.pdf, 51.

[7]Education Bureau. Education Bureau Circular No. 8/2014. Hong Kong: Education Bureau, 2014. 1-2.