Expat influx would only be short-term solution
I refer to the report headlined 'Language edge lost as expat officers go'(Sunday Morning Post, August 26).
Allan Roger, the president of the Association of Expatriate Civil Servants, says English-language standards have declined as expatriate civil servant numbers have 'hit a record low'.
I do not believe we will solve this language problem by hiring more expatriate officials.
What we should do is improve the standards of English-language teaching offered to local people. Hiring more expatriates would only be a short-term solution.
Mr Roger is concerned there has been such a sharp decline in expatriate numbers in the administration since the handover.
However, I do not see anything wrong with that, because Hong Kong is now part of China.
Mr Roger said in the report this was a linguistic and not a racial issue; therefore, I am sure he would agree the most-effective long-term solution to the problem lies with improved standards of education.
CARMEN TAM
Kowloon
