Hong Kong reverses Chinese-only language policy in schools

[Harold Schiffman]

Asia-Pacific News

Hong Kong reverses Chinese-only language policy in schools

Nov 12, 2007, 5:10 GMT


Hong Kong - Hong Kong is to reverse a controversial Chinese-only
language teaching policy blamed for a sharp decline in the standards
of English over the past decade, a news report said Monday. The
territory's education secretary, Michael Suen, is to scrap the 'mother
tongue' policy under which many of Hong Kong's schools teach only in
Cantonese, the Hong Kong dialect.  The policy, introduced in 1997 when
Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty after 156 years as a British
colony, has been blamed for a decline in the standard of English in
the city of 6.9 million.

Many worried parents who want their children to learn English have
opted to send their children to schools where the policy was not
enforced or placed them in paid-for international schools as a result
of the policy.  Suen has decreed that schools will no longer be
allowed to use Cantonese as their sole teaching medium and must give
equal weight to English and Mandarin, China's dominant language.  'To
integrate with the mainland, one has to learn Chinese well,' Suen was
quoted as saying by Monday's Hong Kong Standard newspaper. 'And to
maintain an international status, one has to learn English well.'

As well as scrapping the 'mother tongue' teaching policy, Suen wants
TV stations to introduce English subtitles on Chinese programmes to
help Hong Kong people learn English better.

(c) 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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