Letters | Stress on Chinese language hurts ethnic minority students’ prospects

Name: What's it like for Hong Kong ethnic minority students to take DSE, the city's university entrance exams?
Uploaded: 2021-02-07T05:10:17.000Z
Duration: 3 min 5 s
Description: What's it like for Hong Kong ethnic minority students to take DSE, the city's university entrance exams?

Reading Time:2 minutes

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Children do their homework at Integrated Brilliant Education Centre, which provides academic support for Hong Kong’s underprivileged ethnic minority children, in Jordan in 2017. Photo: Edmond So

Letters

Published: 1:10pm, 7 Feb 2021Updated: 1:10pm, 7 Feb 2021

I am writing in response to “Hong Kong educational charity empowers underprivileged students from ethnic minority groups to ‘compete on an equal level’” (January 30).

While ethnic minorities comprise just 8 per cent of Hong Kong’s population, their problems should not be neglected simply because they are in the minority. Hong Kong is a diverse metropolis and should provide equal opportunities regardless of race or gender.

The education system should be the first priority. Chinese is a core subject in the Diploma of Secondary Education examinations and a decisive factor in university admissions. This puts students from ethnic minority communities at a disadvantage as they lack daily opportunities to practice Chinese. In a meritocratic society such as Hong Kong, many talented ethnic minority students find their prospects stymied by the Chinese language requirement.

It is time for the government to re-examine the importance of the Chinese language. While Chinese should remain a core subject, it should not be too large a factor in determining a student’s capability.

03:05

What's it like for Hong Kong ethnic minority students to take DSE, the city's university entrance exams?

This is also a wider problem – there have been cases of Chinese students who excel in electives finding themselves struggling with core subjects. I hope amendments are made soon or society will suffer.

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.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Stress on Chinese language hurts ethnic minority students’ prospects

Letters | Stress on Chinese language hurts ethnic minority students’ prospects