MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1986
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WIDER ROLE FOR CANTONESE IN SCHOOLS
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CANTONESE WOULD, IN FUTURE, BE USED MORE WIDELY IN SCHOOLS, FOLLOWING THE DECISION TO ENCOURAGE ITS USE AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, THE ACTING GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON RE-EXPLORING CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS ORGANISED BY THE INSTITUTE OF LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HE SAID 241 SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAD INDICATED THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN MAKING THIS CHANGE.
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EXTRA RESOURCES WOULD BE PROVIDED TO THOSE SCHOOLS THAT DECIDED TO MAKE THE CHANGE TO ENSURE THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN A GOOD STANDARD OF ENGLISH.
NOTING THAT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE TAKING PLACE IN THE ROLES OF LANGUAGES IN HONG KONG'S FORMAL EDUCATION SYSTEM AND IN THE USES OF CANTONESE, PUTONGHUA AND ENGLISH, SIR DAVID SAID, THE CHANGES THAT ARE PERTINENT TO EACH OF THESE THREE WILL ALSO AFFECT THE OTHER TWO.+
HE SAID THAT PUTONGHUA HAD BEEN OFFERED AS AN OPTIONAL SUBJECT IN ALL PUBLIC SECTOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS SINCE SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR.
+ THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WILL CONSIDER OFFERING IT AS AN OPTIONAL SUBJECT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS AFTER THE CONCLUSION, NEXT YEAR, OF THE SECOND PHASE OF A SECONDARY SCHOOL PUTONGHUA ILOT PROJECT.
+PUTONGHUA IS CERTAINLY BECOMING MORE POPULAR BECAUSE OF THE INCREASING LINKS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA,+ HE SAID.
TURNING TO ENGLISH, WHICH HAD PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN COMMERCE IN HONG KONG SINCE THE TERRITORY FIRST BEGAN TO DEVELOP AS A TRADING CENTRE LAST CENTURY, SIR DAVID SAID, +ENGLISH HAS BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE AND, TODAY, NEARLY A THIRD OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION OF FOUR BILLION PEOPLE HAVE CAUSE TO USE ENGLISH AS AN IMPORTANT MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION AND AS A SIGNIFICANT LANGUAGE IN COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY.
+THERE IS, HOWEVER, NO DOUBT THAT THE USE OF ENGLISH FOR THESE PURPOSES IN HONG KONG WILL INCREASE AND THAT IT WILL, THEREFORE, NEED TO BE EMPLOYED WITH EVER-INCREASING SOPHISTICATION.+
SIR DAVID MENTIONED WAYS IN WHICH THE GOVERNMENT WAS DEALING, IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR EDUCATION SYSTEM, WITH THE PARTICULAR CHANGES THAT WERE TAKING PLACE IN LANGUAGE USE.
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