The head of the committee that advises the government on language education has defended adopting mother-tongue education, but hinted schools should be partly responsible for any problems that have arisen.
Michael Tien Puk-sun, chairman of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, also discounted criticisms that mother-tongue education had led to falling English standards.
But Mr Tien said the policy needed 'fine-tuning' so that it could be delivered more effectively.
Some school groups want more say in opening special classes for students they consider capable of having some lessons in English.
'[The committee] had originally opted for this idea but there was strong opposition,' Mr Tien said on Commercial Radio yesterday.
'Teachers feared heavier workloads and headmasters feared parents would complain and want their children in English classes.'
Schools were free to choose their language of instruction until after the handover, when the government enforced mother-tongue education and required teachers to meet certain criteria before they would be permitted to conduct lessons in English.
