[lg policy] Hong Kong: Pragmatic education system should take bilingual approach

[Harold Schiffman]

 Pragmatic education system should take bilingual approach
  PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 21 July, 2015, 3:38pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 21 July, 2015, 3:38pm


   - [image: Education minister Eddie Ng has said the status quo in our
   language policy will not be changed. Photo: SCMP Pictures]
   <http://cdn1.scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980w/public/2015/07/21/letjul2207.jpg?itok=qIcAKQZB>

  Education minister Eddie Ng has said the status quo in our language
policy will not be changed. Photo: SCMP Pictures

I am an ex-member of the Standing Committee on Language Education and
Research and refer to your report ("English-medium policy in schools will
continue, says education minister Eddie Ng", July 4).

Our education minister, Eddie Ng Hak-kim, has said the status quo of our
language policy will not be changed, which seems to favour
English-medium-of-instruction schools. Meanwhile, he takes the blame from
the Chinese-medium ones for breaking the government's previous promise of
allowing changes between the two systems. Before we are drawn into the
whirlpool of discussing our language policy, could we consider the
following issues?

Firstly, English-dominated teaching is feasible for only a minority of Hong
Kong students.

There are always dropouts with poor English ability from English-medium
schools. Some of them cannot understand English at all, and as a
consequence they become depressed or develop other behavioural problems.
Parents and school administrators need to be more realistic. Instead of
squeezing their children into English-medium schools or aiming for
admitting top achievers only, could both consider the children's real
language ability first?

Secondly, teachers and students of Chinese-medium-of-instruction schools
are also suffering because of tremendous pressure from principals and
parents to upgrade students' English standards, regardless of their actual
ability and interest in doing so.

I just wonder why we are bound by a monolingual mindset in education when,
in fact, the benefits of bilingualism have been supported by academic
studies and veteran teachers worldwide. It is proven that the bilingual
experience improves the brain's command system, favourable for our
problem-solving and performing various mentally demanding tasks.

If we look back to before the mid-1980s, bilingualism nurtured generations
of elites, the top leaders of Hong Kong. What has aggravated the situation
is our change-ridden language policy and the blind pursuit of new language
approaches by our education officials, a kind of musical chairs. They keep
imposing new language projects or educational experiments on our children.

I strongly suggest our education officials recognise that students and
teachers are suffering.

A more pragmatic language policy like bilingual education should be
considered for the benefit of all parties.

It can ease the unnecessary tension between schools and the stress felt by
parents and children.

*Kendra Ip, Hung Hom*
    This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as
Pragmatic education system should take bilingual approach

http://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1842442/pragmatic-education-system-should-take-bilingual-approach

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its
members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or
sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write
directly to the original sender of any offensive message.  A copy of this
may be forwarded to this list as well.  (H. Schiffman, Moderator)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20150721/a559d713/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list