[SCMP Archive] Uniting students across boarders

[First published on Apr 02, 1991] While many academics laboriously debate the diminishing standards of English language, a few enterprising educationalists are doning something positive about it.

In the true spirit of co-operation, students at the Hong Kong International School (HKIS) are communicating via the data networks with students at the University of East Asia (UEA) in Macau.

The initiative is being sponsored by the Hutchison Group and uses the HKIS students-teacher-parent network which was recently established on Hutchison Inet, the group’s value-added network service company.

The first operational period will run from March to June this year but, if the experiment is successful, then the facility will continue and no doubt expand.

Some educationalists claim that the potential of the programme is immense, with the majority of HKIS students and teachers being native English speakers and the reverse applying to the students at UEA.

In the same way as pen pals, the students will be linked up with partners but, instead of mailing letters, all correspondence will be done electronically.