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SCMP Reporter

Should Putonghua be used to teach Chinese language?
Teaching in Putonghua has many benefits, especially as the  language is becoming increasingly important.
China is developing and there are many career and investment opportunities for our young people. They can take advantage of these opportunities if they speak the language and become more competitive.
Also, Putonghua is the mother tongue of our country, so we should be able to speak it.
People who fail to master Putonghua will not be able to communicate with most mainland citizens.  I think schools should use Putonghua to teach Chinese language.
In addition, teaching in Putonghua not only can help students in their future careers, it can also help give them a deeper understanding of China and of Chinese  literature.
However, I am not advocating that schools should ignore other languages, as English should still be taught.
Ng Kwan-lok, Sheung Shui
I think it is a good idea to use Putonghua to teach Chinese language, and it is a natural progression, given that the handover took place 10 years ago. Since the handover, I have noticed a growing enthusiasm among people to learn Putonghua.
Hong Kong is often seen as a gateway to the mainland, in a commercial sense, and so it is increasingly important for more Hong Kong people to be able to master Putonghua, especially our young people.
In the current school curriculum, there are at most two Putonghua lessons a week and this is obviously inadequate.  Using Putonghua to teach Chinese would be a workable solution to this problem. As young people master a language more easily than adults, this teaching should start in primary school.
Some people have expressed concerns that pupils might get confused if they are speaking three languages: Cantonese, English and Putonghua. However, I do not think this will be a major problem.  In my primary school, they started teaching Chinese language in Putonghua, but I don't think it's a big problem. When I was in Primary Three,  my school started teaching Chinese in Putonghua in Primary One.
My younger sister, now a Form One student at an English medium of instruction school, has been taught  Chinese language in Putonghua throughout her primary education. She and here fellow pupils have never  been confused with the three languages.
What's more, through frequent use of Putonghua,  students' Chinese writing and reading have improved.
Teaching in Putonghua can help halt the decline of the Chinese level of Hong Kong students. However, any changes which are implemented should be done gradually,
otherwise excessive pressure will be placed on schools and on teachers.
Jessica Wong Ka-ying, Yau Ma Tei
How can respect for animals be promoted?
I fail to understand how some people are capable of abandoning or even harming animals, like puppies and kittens. It is so cruel and hard-hearted.
We have to realise that animals are living creatures and they have rights.
People who have pets should act responsibly. They should care for them when they have health problems, keep them clean and make sure they get plenty of exercise.
A pet should be loved and treasured.
I think the government could help by imposing tougher penalties for people who are found guilty of animal cruelty and that includes people who abandon animals, as this is becoming an increasingly serious problem. Over the years, I have treated my pets as members of my family. They are pets, but they are also my friends.
I find it relaxing to spend time with them and play with them.
I urge anyone who is thinking of buying a pet  to realise that a pet is a lifetime commitment.
Kyle Chan Ka-yee, Sheung Shui
On other matters ...
I live on Yan Hing Street in Tai Po, which has a very nice little Italian restaurant.
It is situated on a street corner with a wide pavement and in the past they used to put a few tables outside, which gave it a nice alfresco feel.
However, now they have had to take their tables inside, because someone complained that they were blocking the pavement.
I walk by there all the time and there was always plenty of room and the owners always kept the area very clean.
By contrast, there are other businesses on the street which do cause an obstruction and nothing is done about them.
On the same street, there are two shops which take in refuse for recycling.
Their refuse carts are always blocking the  footpath, and there is an unpleasant odour; this in a dense residential area. I have complained to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) but nothing appears to have been done.
Then there are the three bicycle shops, where a lot of bikes are placed out on the pavement every morning, and they repair bikes right on the pavement, rather than in the shops.
These bikes are an obstruction for pedestrians.
There is a similar problem with three car repair shops, where spare parts and tools are left on the pavement. Often the mechanics work on cars in the metered parking spaces outside, rather than in the workshop.
Finally, there's the little park next to the temple where elderly residents hang out and play cards. They put their chairs on the pavement and leave them there every day. By the end of the day, the park is a pigsty.
This is also the street where the Hong Kong Railway  Museum  is situated.
It gets a lot of foreign and local visitors and buses wait on the street with their idling engines belching out exhaust fumes through our windows and into our homes.
I have lived in this city a long time and I realise that in Hong Kong, this is how business is done. However, this Italian restaurant serves high-quality food.
It can attract tourists and could give our street an enjoyable feel and yet it is the only business against which the FEHD has taken action.
The department seems to have a very strange set of priorities and double standards.
Could officials give more thought to the examples of obstruction I have described?
John Laudon, Tai Po



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