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MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 1992
MOTHER-TONGUE TEACHING MORE EFFECTIVE
THE GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO INTRODUCE IN 1994 "LANGUAGE GROUPING" IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, MR JOHN CHAN, SAID.
HE
EXPLAINED THAT WHILE PROPER ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOLS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS WHO ARE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM IT, OTHER STUDENTS SHOULD BE PLACED IN CHINESE MEDIUM SCHOOLS WHERE, HOWEVER, ENGLISH WOULD CONTINUE TO BE TAUGHT AS A CORE SUBJECT.
"DUAL-MEDIUM SCHOOLS OFFERING SOME ENGLISH MEDIUM AND SOME CHINESE MEDIUM CLASSES WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE SYSTEM TO SMOOTH THE TRANSITION, " HE SAID.
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"BUT MIXED-CODE TEACHING WILL BE REDUCED AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THE SPLIT BETWEEN ENGLISH MEDIUM AND CHINESE MEDIUM CLASSES IS LIKELY TO BE IN THE RATIO OF 3 TO 7."
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE COMMONWEALTH COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION SEVENTH REGIONAL CONFERENCE HOSTED BY THE HONG KONG COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG TODAY (MONDAY), MR CHAN NOTED THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD FOR OVER 130 YEARS REPEATEDLY ADVOCATED MOTHER-TONGUE TEACHING FOR LOCAL CHILDREN.
BUT PARENTS HAVE CONSISTENTLY RESISTED IT, BELIEVING THAT THEIR CHILDREN WILL HAVE BETTER JOB PROSPECTS IF TAUGHT IN ENGLISH.
HOWEVER, MR CHAN SAID, THE MAJORITY OF LOCAL CHILDREN TODAY COULD NOT MANAGE TO LEARN PROPERLY THROUGH ENGLISH, ESPECIALLY WHEN SOME OF THEIR TEACHERS' ENGLISH MIGHT ALSO BE NOT VERY GOOD.
THIS HAS BROUGHT ABOUT A PHENOMENON CALLED "MIXED-CODE" TEACHING, WHEREBY MANY SCHOOLS CALL THEMSELVES ENGLISH MEDIUM AND USE TEXTBOOKS WRITTEN IN ENGLISH, BUT THE TEACHERS TEACH LARGELY IN CANTONESE.
"THIS PRODUCES STUDENTS WHOSE LANGUAGE STANDARDS ARE HIGH NEITHER IN ENGLISH NOR IN CHINESE," MR CHAN SAID, ADDING THAT THIS IS A SITUATION TO WHICH HONG KONG HAS TO FACE UP SQUARELY.
"WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE LANGUAGE GROUPING MEASURE WILL NOT ONLY IMPROVE LANGUAGE STANDARDS BUT WILL ALSO IMPROVE LEARNING GENERALLY IN OUR SCHOOLS.
"ALL THE EVIDENCE IS THAT TEACHING AND LEARNING ARE MORE EFFECTIVE IF THE MOTHER TONGUE IS USED, MR CHAN STATED.
MR CHAN TOLD THE GATHERING THAT MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IS ONLY ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL REFORMS PLANNED OR INTRODUCED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN THE 19908 TO UPGRADE THE QUALITY OF SCHOOLS AND PROVIDED IN THEM.
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