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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1989
NO IMMEDIATE PLANS TO EXTEND TEACHING OF PUTONGHUA
*
THERE ARE NO PLANS AT PRESENT FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO EXTEND THE TEACHING OF PUTONGHUA TO ALL LEVELS IN BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON K.Y. YEUNG, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY),
IN
REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON LEUNG WAI-TUNG, MR YEUNG EXPLAINED THAT CHILDREN IN PRIMARY 1 3 HAD TO DEVELOP LITERACY CHINESE AND AT THE SAME TIME TO LEARN ENGLISH.
-
**IT WOULD PUT A CONSIDERABLE STRAIN ON MOST OF THEM IF THEY WERE REQUIRED TO LEARN
THIRD LANGUAGE AT THAT STAGE OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT," HE SAID.
A
MR YEUNG ALSO SAID THERE WERE NO PLANS ΤΟ EXTEND THE FORMAL TEACHING OF PUTONGHUA UP TO SECONDARY 5.
"THE SIX YEARS OF PUTONGHUA UP ΤΟ SECONDARY 3 ALREADY GIVE STUDENTS A SUFFICIENT GROUNDING ΤΟ ENABLE THEM то DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS IN THEIR OWN TIME.
"MOREOVER, AT SECONDARY 4 AND 5 THE CURRICULUM IS ALREADY VERY HEAVY AS STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION," HE SAID.
MR YEUNG NOTED THAT THE PRESENT PUTONGHUA COURSE HAD BEEN AVAILABLE, ON AN OPTIONAL BASIS, TO PRIMARY SCHOOLS SINCE SEPTEMBER
AND
SECONDARY SCHOOLS SINCE SEPTEMBER LAST SYLLABUSES COVERING PRIMARY 4
1986
SCHOOLS.
ΤΟ
-
6
AND SECONDARY 1
3.
YEAR,
WITH
"THIS YEAR THE SUBJECT IS BEING OFFERED IN 77 PER CENT OF ALL
OF THE
"SOME 223,000 CHILDREN, OR ABOUT 43 PER CENT OF ALL PUPILS
AND SECONDARY BETWEEN PRIMARY 4
ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN PUTONGHUA, HE EXPLAINED.
3.
MR YEUNG ALSO SAID THAT THE QUESTION FROM MISS LEUNG IMPLIED TO ALL THAT STRENGTHENING THE TEACHING OF PUTONGHUA AND EXTENDING IT LEVELS OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLING WOULD IMPROVE STUDENTS' CHINESE LANGUAGE SKILLS.
"THIS SEEMS TO ME TO BE A QUESTIONABLE ASSUMPTION.
"FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS, HOME AND THE COMMUNITY IS CANTONESE.
THE LANGUAGE OF
THE
CHINESE "IT IS POSSIBLE TO BECOME HIGHLY LITERATE IN
EVEN IF
AS ONE IS A CANTONESE SPEAKER,
MANY MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL CAN
ATTEST.
"GIVEN THE PRESSURE OUR STUDENTS ARE ALREADY COMPETENT IN TWO LANGUAGES, ENGLISH AS WELL AS CHINESE, MEANS
CLEAR
UNDER TO BECOME IT IS BY NO THAT ADDING PUTONGHUA TO THE BASIC CURRICULUM, OR LEAD TEACHING CHINESE LANGUAGE THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF PUTONGHUA, WOULD
WRITTEN TO ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE GENERAL STANDARD OF
CHINESE,
SAID.
HR
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