Young people - and the government - should do their bit to arrest the falling standard of English across the city, former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang said yesterday.
She was speaking at the launch of English Adventure, a joint project by the British Council and Prudential Assurance Company, at ELCHK Lutheran Secondary School in Yau Ma Tei.
The project will offer the British Council's communicative approach to English teaching in schoolyards across the city on board a double-decker bus donated by KMB.
'I regret the fact that English has declined across Hong Kong as it is one of the competitive advantages we have over cities on the mainland,' Mrs Chan told the launch.
'The students never speak it. I think the government should set an example by having its civil servants and senior officials speaking English. And I particularly encourage students to see it as in their own interests to improve their grasp of the English language.
'We need to do all we can to retain and sharpen this competitive advantage, or run the risk of being overtaken by mainland cities.'