LettersHong 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.
