HK marchers demand more English

[AngryABCGirl]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6716095.stm

K marchers demand more English
By Vaudine England
BBC News, Hong Kong

Hong Kong's Star Ferry - picture by Kees Metselaar
The government says it is doing its best to fulfil its legal obligation
A small group of protesters of South Asian origin have marched through central Hong Kong demanding more schooling in the English language.

They say they are increasingly forced into Chinese-language schools due to a lack of places in English schools.

Many of the marchers have lived in Hong Kong for generations and so are Hong Kong residents who should have equal rights to education.

The handful of demonstrators marched on the central government offices.

Daily struggle

Carrying banners written in Chinese and English, they called for the provision of more schools teaching in the English language.

Currently there are not enough English language places in schools and they say they are losing out in examination results and chances to go to university because they are forced to go to classes conducted in Chinese.

For many Nepalis - in Hong Kong since their forebears worked for Britain's Gurkha regiments - life is a daily struggle in at least three languages - Nepali, English and Chinese.

The government says it is doing its best to fulfil its legal obligation to provide free access to education for all Hong Kong people.

But legislators and activists supporting the many ethnic minorities making up Hong Kong say the push toward more Chinese language in schools and elsewhere is only increasing.

[didu]

They say they are increasingly forced into Chinese-language schools due to a lack of places in English schools.


Not to be an asshole, but I find it rather unreasonable for long term foreign residents in a Chinese territory to resent sending their children to Chinese-language schools.

[AngryABCGirl]

Not to be an asshole, but I find it rather unreasonable for long term foreign residents in a Chinese territory to resent sending their children to Chinese-language schools.

It does make sense for them to learn Chinese- but keep in mind these people aren't foreign residents, they've been there for generations since the British era and weren't ever really integrated. I have the impression there are a lot of Cantonese-fluent South Asians in HK, but illiterate and now unable to go up the educational ladder.

Either way it's not very smart for HK to lose out on English speakers and its English-speaking level/standard/水準?. Good lord I'm losing the ability to think in English myself.

[kasia]

why don't they ask for csl classes?

[SunWuKong]

i saw this article yesterday. the South Asians in question can be pretty integrated into HK society already, but racism does play a part in how well they can be integrated. of course, there's also the question of how well integrated they themselves want to be.

i guess the issue can be framed like the one that Latino kids may face in the US. English is not their home language and they have a difficult time competing using English as the medium of education. same thing with using Chinese for the South Asians in HK. although to be honest, i don't think they'd necessarily have an easier time with education in English, if the South Asian kids started learning Chinese when they were young and they're still finding it difficult to compete in the language.

anyway, this is going to be an ongoing uphill battle. and if they start allocating spots in English schools for South Asian kids, a lot of the majority Chinese population will be unhappy with that, because those parents want their kids to get better English language skills.

[sageb1]

English == $$$$$

What they lack is good reading&writing skills in Chinese, both Mandarin and Catonese.

[LaiSteve66]

Learn Cantonese you fucktards.

[CBC guy]

Learn Cantonese you fucktards.

Actually to be perfectly fair a large percentage of the South Asian Community in Hong Kong do speak passable Cantonese, some even speak it perfectly, just to let you know.

[SunWuKong]

Actually to be perfectly fair a large percentage of the South Asian Community in Hong Kong do speak passable Cantonese, some even speak it perfectly, just to let you know.

most i've came across speak it without an accent. you wouldn't be able to tell the person was not Chinese if you weren't looking at him or her.