Letters | Hong Kong’s schools system sets non-Chinese-speaking pupils up to fail by testing them with native speakers
- Native and non-native Chinese speakers sit for the same exam in upper-primary school
- The Chinese listening test involves reading questions, which non-Chinese-speaking pupils struggle with
My two non-Chinese-speaking sons study at a government-aided school which has a large number of non-Chinese-speaking pupils. I know the concerns and worries of parents of non-Chinese-speaking children in government schools.
My sons are in Primary Four and Five, and we are starting to worry about secondary school. I was told that most secondary schools would not even interview pupils if their average marks are below 80.
Under the current system dictated by the Education Bureau, non-Chinese-speaking pupils have to complete the same Chinese papers as native Chinese speakers in Primary Five and 6. My son’s school split the year into four classes – two for native Chinese speakers and two for non-native speakers. No one in the non-Chinese-speaking classes passes the Chinese exam.
This is a terrible way to educate children. Instead of encouraging them, the system emphasises their failures.
Moreover, primary school pupils also have a listening exam to test oral comprehension. Those learning a language tend to first master speaking and listening. My sons can actually understand Cantonese well. However, I was told that the listening exam also involves reading comprehension skills.
This is unfair. Why can’t the questions be read out, instead of making pupils read during a listening test? Again, Education Bureau rules forbid teachers from reading out the questions for the listening test.
The study also mentioned that secondary school pupils found it very difficult to catch up with the Chinese of their peers and tend to give up eventually.
Forcing non-Chinese-speaking pupils to sit for the same Chinese exam as native speakers ends their chance of attending a good secondary school, and eventually the opportunity to go to university. This will also cause different social issues when non-Chinese-speaking pupils grow up to be adults.
I hope one day Hong Kong’s education system will improve. For now, as parents, we can only try our best to encourage our children.
Vincci Nelson, Repulse Bay