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SCMP Reporter

THE long-proposed Bridge Programme has come up with its first English language package. Its appearance has not only generated interest among educationists, but also a concern for the financial burden on students.

  The package, designed to help Primary Six pupils move to an English-medium secondary education, is put together by Longman Asia, with research funding from the Hong Kong Bank Language Development Bank.

  It comprises seven subject texts, each costing $65, in addition to teachers' guides and reproducible teaching materials.

  ''Once introduced, poorer students will suffer from having to buy an extra set of text, and they will have no choice under the compulsory education system,'' said some principals who were introduced to the kit at a recent seminar.

  The Bridge Programme, recommended in the Education Commission's 1990 Education Report No 4, is targeted at the 30 per cent of students considered capable of learning in English to switch to English-medium secondary schools.

  But Longman Hong Kong, which conducted three years of research and trials in four schools before coming up with this 14-week course, hopes the materials would attract other schools as well.

  Designed to be taught in the first term of Secondary One, the kit includes one Teacher's Book, and Teachers' Guides for Mathematics, Integrated Science, History, Geography, Economic and Public Affairs, English and Social Studies, besides the Students' Books.

  Project director Don Dallas said: ''The package teaches the type of English students need to understand subjects across the curriculum.''   Its key feature is a simplified language, designed to help Secondary One students overcome the biggest difficulty they face during their first weeks of school - the sudden encounter of a huge amount of vocabulary.

  Project co-ordinator and senior lecturer of the University of Hong Kong's Department of Education, Keith Johnson, said: ''Students possessing a stronger first language (Cantonese) and higher academic ability are more likely to benefit from the materials.''   The Teacher's Book has teachers without an English major in mind. It contains detailed notes on teaching procedures and language.

  The Education Department's Institute of Language in Education is running a 16-week in-service course for teachers next month, using training material prepared by the British Council.

  Hong Kong Baptist College Language Centre lecturer John Ng, who attended the seminar, said: ''I think the course will raise English proficiency in students. Nevertheless, even though the same planned language will continually be used, I am worried about its cost-effectiveness in the long run.''   The package will be available for use in schools in the 1994 academic year.



Moving on to better English