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