Hong Kong may allow more pupils to use English in lessons, education chief says

Hong Kong is considering letting more junior secondary school pupils use English as their medium of instruction (MOI), with the education minister pointing to an improved learning environment, better qualified teachers and other developments in the sector.

Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also said on Thursday that publicly funded primary and secondary schools could expect more cuts in resources in the coming two years as the government tightened its belt further.

The existing MOI policy, fine-tuned in 2010, allows schools to determine their own medium of instruction in each class if they fulfil certain criteria including student ability, or they can teach English in up to two subjects, in a six-year cycle.

Schools in which all classes are taught in English are regarded as elite and are highly popular with parents and students.

Choi said the policy was now so stringent that only the top 40 per cent of students were allowed to learn in English in junior secondary schools. But she said improvements in the sector led her to consider whether the threshold could be relaxed.

“We have implemented many different support measures like digital education. In fact, there is no big difference in the language environment and teachers’ qualifications [among schools],” she said at an annual spring gathering with the press.