Hong Kong education chief says he doesn’t want to force schools to teach Mandarin over Cantonese, as critics claim Beijing is trying to control what city’s children learn
Kevin Yeung forced to clarify earlier remarks as backlash against China’s influence over what is taught in city grows
Hong Kong’s education chief has been forced to clarify twice in two days that he had no intention of forcing schools to teach Mandarin, in what critics say reflected the sensitivity surrounding language in the city.
Kevin Yeung Yun-hung was strongly criticised on Sunday after he suggested experts look into whether Mandarin, which is the official language in mainland China, should be taught instead of Cantonese, which is the dialect spoken in Hong Kong.
Yeung came under fire when he noted, “the future development of Chinese language learning across the globe will rely mainly on Mandarin”.
After being accused of devaluing Cantonese, the education chief later clarified his remarks on the same day, and on Monday said he had not cast “doubt” on whether teaching the Chinese language in Cantonese put Hongkongers at a disadvantage.
Critics said his remarks had touched a raw nerve with Hongkongers, amid fears that Beijing’s interference on local educational policy was increasing, with mainland officials becoming more vocal on the subject.