Educators have called on the government to allocate more resources to strengthen support for dyslexic students.
While welcoming moves made so far to identify pupils with reading and writing difficulties, teachers said they were frustrated that many schools had still done little to accommodate students' needs.
Cheung Chau primary school teacher Woo Wing-hang said there was little follow-up for students identified as dyslexic in her school: 'They continue to be treated the same as their classmates and some teachers still criticise them as being lazy. There is no point in assessing them if they have little support afterwards.'
She said schools should allow dyslexic students more time for dictations and tests, and design homework according to their abilities. It was crucial there were additional staff to help cope with the problem.
Lam Seung-wan, principal of SKH Yat Sau Primary School, said additional resources should be made available for both dyslexic students and those with other disabilities, such as sensory impairment or emotional problems. 'As technology gets more advanced, the problems will become more widespread and diverse. More manpower will be needed to deal with the wide range of needs,' he said.
A study published by the Hong Kong Institute of Education in 2002 found that 90 per cent of teachers in schools with special needs pupils integrated into mainstream classes had no special training.
