Letters | Why Hong Kong should accept less than stellar Chinese skills from its ethnic minority students

Readers discuss the language barrier facing ethnic minority students, support for young artists, choosing a career path and retaining experienced staff

Reading Time:4 minutes

Students learning at IBE centre in Jordan. The language barrier has been cited as one of the primary hurdles to more fully integrating students who are not ethnically Chinese into Hong Kong society. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 2:30pm, 25 Jul 2022

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It was heartening to note that both Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and the Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee have spoken about the need to create an inclusive society for all. In his speech on July 9, Siu made clear this applies even to those who were charged with crimes during the tumultuous years since 2019 provided they repent and are willing to rejoin society.

But listening to what Unison – an NGO that advocates for equal opportunities for those who are not ethnic Chinese – had to say on July 13 on RTHK’s Backchat, one can’t help but get a feeling that ethnic minority groups have been left out, especially in better-paid or more secure jobs. This is especially so for those of South Asian descent.

In my view, the primary reason is the language barrier – to wit, their inability to read and write Chinese characters. This is a prerequisite to entering a job beyond a delivery service, road works, construction site odd job worker and the like.

Put simply, they are barred from upwards social mobility because of a cultural divide. A primary school level of knowledge of Chinese characters would empower non-ethnic Chinese students to read, write and improve their understanding of Chinese culture, an essential element when one lives in a society where most people speak, read and write Chinese.

A major difficulty for non-ethnic Chinese students is regular opportunities to practise what they learn from school. Herein lies a Catch-22. If they don’t practise they can’t improve, but they can’t practise because their parents probably don’t read or write Chinese, either, so what is learned today has to be learned again tomorrow.