Equality in schools has a long way to go in Hong Kong
A new set of guidelines to help schools deal with the needs of ethnic minorities is just a start, writes Katelyn Chan
On the surface, ethnic minority children in Hong Kong have been given more attention in recent years. A Chinese-language curriculum targeting them is rolling out in September and last year the "designated schools" label attached to schools attended by these children was removed.
But integrating into the local community is fraught with difficulties for ethnic minority families. Their children have griped about schools not understanding their culture and needs. Last month, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) released a set of guidelines in response to inquiries over uniform policies and racial equality.
"The inquiries are about whether they could wear culture or religion-related items such as headscarves and bangles," says EOC spokeswoman Mariana Law.
A lot of work has to be done to achieve racial equality in Hong Kong
The guidelines state that uniform rules should respect and take into account students' cultural, religious and racial practices, or they may infringe racial discrimination law.
However, schools are allowed to impose restrictions to maintain school identity and ethos, or for the purposes of education. For example, to facilitate social interaction and class assessments, students should not have their face covered, the guidelines state.
But there may be room for tighter monitoring of schools' practices.
Holing Yip, acting executive director (advocacy) of rights organisation Unison, is disappointed with the EOC guidelines, which she says were too general.