Speaking up

SCMP 2011/10/14

Speaking up

Victor Fung Keung says Hong Kong

must return to the days of using

English in all high schools, as befits

our role as a global financial centre

Whoever wins the chief executive race next

year needs to have the nerve and boldness

to bring Hong Kong back to the prehandover

days as far as using English as the teaching

medium in high schools is concerned. The standard

of English of our students in high schools and

universities has declined sharply in the past 14 years.

Introducing Chinese as the teaching medium in

high schools after 1997 was politically motivated.

Before 1997, most used English as the medium of

instruction. After the British rulers left, the local

government servants swiftly adopted Chinese as the

preferred language of instruction. Currently, about

300 high schools use Chinese as the teaching medium

while only around 110 schools teach in English. That’s

a huge mistake.

The present government knows that, and, under

pressure, has half-heartedly attempted to rectify its

policy. It has allowed some high schools to start

teaching in English from Form 4 in what has been

described as “fine-tuning”.

We all know that language skills are acquired and

accumulated day by day. Speaking English is not like

eating instant noodles. Pupils speak little English

from Forms 1to 3 and, suddenly, in Form 4 we expect

them to speak fluent English and have a meaningful

dialogue with teachers? It’s a joke.

The next chief executive should adopt a new

policy that all high schools in Hong Kong must use

English as the medium of instruction. Period. Let our

young people speak English from Form 1. The move

will be good for Hong Kong’s future to keep, and

strengthen, its role as China’s financial centre.

Recent research by an Oxford University scholar,

Professor Ernesto Macaro, shows that the “finetuning”

approach in high schools has made Form 4

students reluctant to ask questions and seek

clarification for difficult concepts. Lessons are less

interactive, the research indicates.

Of course, we need teachers who are confident

enough to teach in English from Form 1to Form 6. At

present, the English proficiency of some leaves much

to be desired. But if we have the will to keep Hong

Kong competitive economically, there must be many

ways to make it work. First, those teachers whose

English standard hasn’t reached an acceptable level

should undergo retraining. The government could

afford to give a subsidy as an incentive.

Second, we must have the resolve to overhaul

Hong Kong’s teaching profession. How about

doubling all high school teachers’ salaries? This

would attract more bright and talented university

graduates to join the profession. Currently, many

graduates shun teaching as the remuneration

package isn’t attractive and teachers’ social status

isn’t as high as that of investment bankers. However,

once the most talented and brightest graduates join

the teaching profession, people’s perceptions will

change and that will only encourage more highachievers

to become high school teachers.

For Hong Kong’s economic future and our

children’s job prospects, the “fine-tuning” policy

must be killed off and replaced with an Englishspeaking

environment for our young people. Our

next leader needs to be bold enough to tell the world

to do business with us because we speak the language

of international commerce.

Victor Fung Keung, based in Hong Kong, is a

commentator on education and political issues