Kindergarten using Reggio Emilia approach to be the first to teach in Italian in Hong Kong
- The Italian International Kindergarten avoids rote learning and puts the emphasis on child-centred activities
- Classes will be held primarily in Italian and English, with some also in Mandarin
A Hong Kong businesswoman and her Italian husband have opened the city’s first international school using Italian-based educational techniques that eschew rote learning.
The Reggio Emilia approach is an educational philosophy that allows children to learn and explore at their own pace, with teachers acting as partners in the process.
Pauline Ngai Chiu-fung, co-founder of the Italian International Kindergarten, said children would learn by doing and experiencing, unlike in the local education system which she went through herself, and which is often criticised for working pupils too hard and being too focused on grades.
The school will take in children from pre-nursery to kindergarten three.
Located at South Horizons in Ap Lei Chau, the school will open in September, and so far at least 100 children have enrolled, most of them Italian.
Classes will be held in Italian and English, with some lessons in English and Mandarin as well.