Call to set up separate school curriculum for Hong Kong students in Guangdong province for ‘Greater Bay Area’ families, with government talks under way
City’s education chief says scheme, with Cantonese as main medium of instruction, will help such youngsters integrate better into local system if their families return
Schools in China’s Guangdong province could offer a curriculum tailored for Hong Kong children whose parents are based there, as negotiations between both governments are proceeding smoothly, the city’s education minister has said.
On Friday, Hong Kong Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said he was aware Hongkongers working in the “Greater Bay Area” would be concerned about their children’s education. The bay area scheme aims to link Hong Kong, Macau and nine other mainland cities in Guangdong into an integrated economic hub.
Yeung was calling for interested stakeholders to set up mainland schools offering Hong Kong curriculum, with the main medium of instruction to be Cantonese.
“We know that Hongkongers will want to have a Hong Kong curriculum for their children to follow,” Yeung said on a radio programme, adding this would facilitate the students’ integration back into local schools if their families returned.
He said at present Hongkongers in Shenzhen study in international schools or places that generally use a mainland curriculum but with English lessons based on those from Hong Kong.