Under the current mother-tongue policy, most students have limited exposure to English.

Some matriculated students experience problems with the most basic English words. This creates difficulties for them given that Hong Kong is an international city where English is widely used in business.

With the new 'fine-tuning' policy students will enjoy a greater interaction with English and they will become more confident about using the language.

Schools will be able to determine the medium of instruction. This is a good idea, because each school is different. It is in a better position to make this decision than say the Education Bureau. Critics have said what is known as the labelling effect will get worse.

However, I think the existing system is worse when it comes to discrimination.

Those students who fail to get into an English-medium school often feel they are being labelled as inferior or academically incompetent. Many lose their self-esteem and their motivation to learn more. One practical way to put an end to the discrimination is to abandon the distinction between English-medium and Chinese-medium schools.

To be fair, there is be an element of discrimination in the present and new policy. Whether we want to bring it into prominence depends on our attitude.

If we want to prepare our next generation for a brighter future and be better competitors in the global arena, I think we should stop arguing and work towards creating a warm and harmonious environment in which they can learn.

C. Y. Leung, Mid-Levels