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Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schools suit Chinese and non-Chinese alike | South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689991/bilingual-classes-hong-kong-public-schools-suit-chinese[2/2/2015 10:18:23]
Non-Chinese speaking students at HKTA Yuen Yuen Institute No 3 Secondary Schoolin Tseung Kwan O. Photo: Nora Tam
While the number of international schools in Hong Kong has grown over thepast decade, non-Chinese parents, among them long-time residents in HongKong, are looking for a bilingual education for their children, and at a muchlower cost.
And two public schools have sought to meet their need.
"Eight years ago, we noticed that the number of non-Chinese families livingin Sai Kung was growing," says the principal of the Lee Sin Yam MemorialPrimary School, Lewis Ng Chor-kung.
"Some of them had children who were enrolled in local kindergartens, andreceiving basic bilingual education. I met parents who were looking for aschool with a more well-rounded environment where both English andCantonese are used, so we decided to alter our curriculum to cater for these
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PUBLISHED : Monday, 26 January, 2015, 6:15amUPDATED : Monday, 26 January, 2015, 6:15am
Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schoolssuit Chinese and non-Chinese alikeTwo public schools have stepped up to the challenge of providing cost-effective options forbilingual learning
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Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schools suit Chinese and non-Chinese alike | South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689991/bilingual-classes-hong-kong-public-schools-suit-chinese[2/2/2015 10:18:23]
It is refreshing tosee youngerlearners embraceother languagesLEWIS NG, PRINCIPAL AT LEE SIN
YAM MEMORIAL PRIMARY SCHOOL
needs."
The core curriculum at Lee Sin Yam is similar to other public schools, exceptthat they have two streams. In one stream, all subjects are taught in Chinese(except English).
In the other stream (the Chinese-English stream), core subjects such asmathematics and computer studies are taught in English, while other subjectsare taught in Cantonese or Putonghua. Children who come from householdswhere Cantonese is not used receive extra language assistance throughproject-learning, debate, drama, sports and field trips incorporated into thecurriculum, allowing them to interact with Cantonese-speaking children in amore informal environment.
"The programme benefits both local Chinese and non-Chinese students. Thestudents develop better language skills not only in the classroom, but alsofrom their social interactions, and they get a rich multicultural experience.The programme is structured so it reduces the use of textbooks and focuseson task-based projects and real-world learning. Having a mixture of nativeEnglish and native Cantonese speakers means both groups benefit in theirbilingual training. It is refreshing to see young learners embrace otherlanguages and cultures," says Ng.
George Woodman, a Briton who has been living in Hong Kong since 1997,enrolled his son at Lee Sin Yam so he can learn Cantonese. "Lee Sin Yamreflects the Sai Kung community. The students in international schools tendto come from a subset of the community, but we value the diversity," hesays.
Susan Yeung enrolled her two daughters, Chloe and Caley, at the school forsimilar reasons. Although her family speaks Cantonese at home, she saysshe didn't want her children to attend a local Chinese school because shefeels that the workload at such schools is often too heavy.
"It is important that my girls are bilingual and biliterate in Chinese, but alsoproficient in English. I don't think their Chinese would have been up to par ifthey had gone to an international school, and I think their English would notbe as good if they had gone to a regular Chinese medium school. Lee SinYam has a good mix of cultural backgrounds, so it feels like an internationalschool with the benefit of being cost free," Yeung says.
HKTA Yuen Yuen Institute No 3 Secondary School recently introduced acurriculum tailored to foreign students. They learn subjects such as maths,liberal studies, integrated science and computer studies in English, butChinese language and "living Chinese" - a more practical substitute subjectfor Chinese history, are taught in Putonghua; and design and technology,home economics, visual arts, physical education, music and religious andethical education in both English and Cantonese.
The Education Bureau provides funding fornon-Chinese speaking students in allgovernment and aided schools, so Lee SinYam and Yuen Yuen used these extra fundsto support their programmes. "The bureauadvocates progressive change, and ourcurriculum has many elements of itssuggested modules of learning. We did notneed to get permission for a curriculum change,as our programme already addresses conceptsthat the bureau suggests for non-Chinese speaking students," says principalNg.
At Yuen Yuen, non-Cantonese speaking students learn Chinese wordprocessing in computer lessons, and improve their language abilities with apeer-reading scheme, where they receive mentoring from senior localstudents in Cantonese or Putonghua. Cantonese-stream students alsobenefit from a mentorship scheme where a senior "foreign" student coachesthem in English.
"This is ideal for parents who want their children to be able to speakCantonese and maintain a good standard of English," says Lai Chun-kit, aliberal studies teacher at Yuen Yuen. "One of the major obstacles for foreign
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Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schools suit Chinese and non-Chinese alike | South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689991/bilingual-classes-hong-kong-public-schools-suit-chinese[2/2/2015 10:18:23]
students applying to Hong Kong universities is the basic requirement ofChinese language. With this curriculum, we aim to help them increase theirprospects of entering Hong Kong universities by tailoring classes andextracurricular activities."
Khan Shenzad, vice-president of the Parent Teachers Association at YuenYuen, appreciates these efforts. "We are from Pakistan and at home wespeak Pakistani. There are many foreign students here who speak languagesother than Cantonese or English at home, so they need more help with bothCantonese and English; this course is ideal for them," he says.
British journalist Chris Davis, a Hong Kong resident of more than 20 years,recently enrolled his daughter Ocean at Yuen Yuen after she completed herprimary education at Lee Sin Yam. "We want Ocean to be proficient inCantonese. We have expat friends who send their children overseas forsecondary school, but when their children return to Hong Kong, theysometimes struggle to find jobs here because of their inability to speakCantonese. We want Ocean to be able to make a life in Hong Kong, whereshe grew up. She speaks excellent Cantonese and English, so she cancommunicate with 99 per cent of the people she meets in Hong Kong," saysDavis.
Lee Sin Yam and Yuen Yuen are the only two government schools offeringChinese-English curriculums. Some other schools offer Chinese as asecondary language curriculum.
Lai says there are definitely challenges involved in creating the new mode ofdual language education. "The teachers who teach foreign students must notonly have good knowledge of the subjects they teach, and good English-language proficiency, but they must also be caring and sensitive to differentcultures. It can be a challenge finding teachers who meet theserequirements," Lai says.
"There is a lot to consider when offering Chinese-English classes. Thecurriculum has to cater to a very wide learner diversity," says Ng.
"The typical learning styles and activity levels of local and non-local studentsare very different. There can also be cultural expectations about homeworkand exams.
"It has taken much time and effort for us to implement schemes such as thereading programme for lower-primary and project-based learning for ourupper primary students. It is a huge workload for a public school to become afunctional bilingual school. But we're committed to progress. Change doesn'thappen overnight," he says.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition asTongues of potential
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Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schools suit Chinese and non-Chinese alike | South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689991/bilingual-classes-hong-kong-public-schools-suit-chinese[2/2/2015 10:18:23]
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Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schools suit Chinese and non-Chinese alike | South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689991/bilingual-classes-hong-kong-public-schools-suit-chinese[2/2/2015 10:18:23]
This article is now closed to comments
monday.tyron@******Jan 27th 20157:53pm
Are these immigrants from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal benefitting our Hong Kong inanyway? Our 43% local han chinese population of Hong Kong lives below poverty line. Why nobody seems to careabout that? Are these Pakistanis, Indian, Bangladesh, Srilankan, and Nepalese benefitting us in any way? Lots ofthose Indian sub-continentals, Indons and filipinos are creating ghettos in this country. Are we in Hong Konganymore? Are those people even trying to assimilate themselves in Hong Kong's society? If you facediscrimination, then it's your fault. Don't come to our Hong Kong if you think we are going to pay you or treat you.Learning language alone won't make you part of our society. Leave your backward religion of Islam, Hinduism, orSikhism or whatever in your land. If you want to live in Hong Kong, then live by our rules. We have our own peopleto feed and you are not one of us.
wongshermanJan 29th 201510:37am
Wow.
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Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schools suit Chinese and non-Chinese alike | South China Morning Post
http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1689991/bilingual-classes-hong-kong-public-schools-suit-chinese[2/2/2015 10:18:23]
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