Language of Instruction
2.16 In the past secondary education has been conducted mainly through the medium of English. Now that it is intended to make secondary education in Forms I-III available to all, it is appropriate to review this practice. On educational grounds there are strong argu- ments for maintaining that the medium of instruction for children aged 12-14 should be Chinese. However, there are other considerations. Hong Kong is a commercial and industrial centre which has reached a high level of technical and professional sophistication and has established close contacts all over the world. It is undeniable that Hong Kong, if it is to maintain its progress, will continue to need people at all levels in commerce, industry and the professions who are at home in English as well as in Chinese. For these practical reasons, the standards of Chinese and English must be maintained, and indeed, if possible, improved, and parents are likely to demand that they should be. These considerations suggest the need for a balanced approach.
2.17 It is the Government's intention that individual school authorities should themselves decide whether the medium of instruc- tion should be English or Chinese for any particular subject in junior secondary forms. This will facilitate the adoption of appropriate measures to ensure that there is no drop in the standard of English of those continuing their education beyond Form III, while, at the same time, enabling other students to derive maximum benefit from their education through the medium of Chinese. It is not intended to be more specific on this topic until full consultation with schools has taken place. Encouraging the greater use of Chinese will necessitate the development of textbooks in Chinese, the training of teachers who can use Chinese effectively as the medium of instruction, and the introduction of improved teaching techniques. These factors will to a large extent govern the rate at which teaching in Chinese can be introduced. Schools will probably wish to consider each subject separately, taking into account factors such as the nature of the subject, availability of suitable textbooks and teachers, and the needs of their pupils. A pupil would then be able to take each subject of the new Hong Kong Junior Certificate Examination in the language appropriate to him.
2.18 The Government intends to review the arrangements for the language of instruction as these develop.
7