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THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1994
GOVERNOR: I REPEAT WHAT I SAID EARLIER. THE GOVERNMENT IS ATTEMPTING TO ENCOURAGE SCHOOLS TO OPT FOR WHATEVER IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION AND A LOT OF THE RESISTANCE TO THE IDEA COMES FROM THOSE WHO DON'T SHARE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER'S VIEWS ABOUT ENGLISH, COMES FROM PARENTS WHO THINK THAT TO MOVE AWAY FROM ENGLISH AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, EVEN IF IN PRACTICE ENGLISH HASN'T BEEN USED VERY EFFECTIVELY AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, IS SOMEHOW REDUCE THE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS THAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE ENJOYING. REALLY DO HAVE A MATTER OF PARENTAL EDUCATION I THINK TO DEAL WITH TACKLING THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM.
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I MUST SAY, J DON'T SEE THE QUESTION OF LANGUAGE TRAINING IN PARTICULARLY COLONIAL LIGHT. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT HONG KONG NEEDS, ADDITION TO ITS ELOQUENT CANTONESE SPEAKING POPULATION, AS MANY AS POSSIBLE WHO CAN MANAGE IN PUTONGHUA AND IN ENGLISH AND IT'S THE JOB OF GOVERNMENT TO MAKE THAT AS LIKELY AS IT CAN.
IN THE CIVIL SERVICE WE ARE DOING A GOOD DEAL TO INCREASE LANGUAGE TRAINING WITH MORE PUTONGHUA COURSES. BUT I THINK IT'S CLEARLY TRUE THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF JOBS WHICH REQUIRE ENGLISH AS WELL AS CANTONESE OR AS WELL AS PUTONGHUA. PARTICULARLY, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THOSE WORKING IN AREAS LIKE INTERNATIONAL TRADE. SO I THINK IT'S A QUESTION OF KEEPING A BALANCE AND ENSURING THAT WE ENCOURAGE, AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, RATHER THAN COERCE.
MR CHEUNG MAN-KWONG (THROUGH INTERPRETER): MR PRESIDENT, CONCERNING THE REPLY FROM THE GOVERNOR, ACTUALLY IT REALLY DISAPPOINTS ME. FRANKLY SPEAKING I THINK YOUR VIEWPOINT IS STILL A COLONIAL VIEWPOINT. WILL THE GOVERNMENT TAKE THE LEAD, IF HE STILL THINKS THAT MOTHER TONGUE EDUCATION IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE PROMOTED IN HONG KONG? THEN CONCERNING THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS, IF THEY ARE ALREADY ASSESSED TO BE SUITABLE FOR EDUCATION THROUGH CHINESE, THEN THE SCHOOLS SHOULD BE TEACHING THEM IN CHINESE AND WILL YOU, THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS, TAKF THE LEAD IN THIS AREA?
GOVERNOR: WELL, I CONGRATULATE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER TO BEGIN WITH. THINK HE'S THE FIRST PERSON WHO'S ACCUSED MR OF COLONIAL ATTITUDES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT THE PRIZE HAD TO GO TO SOMEBODY.
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I'M NOT SURE WHETHER HE BELIEVES ALL THOSE PARENTS WHO ARE AT PRESENT CONCERNED ABOUT SCHOOLS MOVING FROM TEACHING IN ENGLISH OR ALLEGEDLY TEACHING IN ENGLISH TO TEACHING IN MOTHER TONGUE, I'M NOT SURE WHETHER HE THINKS THOSE PARENTS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THAT ARE ALSO COLONIALIST: THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT THERE ARE PARENTS THAT WE HAVE TO LEAD ALONG WHAT I THINK IS THE RIGHT ROAD. I DON'T DISAGREE WITH THE HONOURABLE MEMBER ONE BIT THAT ONE WANTS TEACHING IN THE APPROPRIATE MODE AND THAT THAT WILL VERY OFTEN MEAN, IN HONG KONG, MOVING FROM TEACHING IN ENGLISH TO MOVING TO TEACHING IN
THE MOTHER TONGUE. [ TOTALLY ACCEPT THAT BUT I THINK WE'RE GOING ΤΟ BE BEST SERVED BY TRYING TO ENCOURAGE AND LEAD PEOPLE ALONG THAT ROAD RATHER THAN BY DRIVING THEM ALONG IT. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER IS ENTIRELY RIGHT THAT WHAT WE WANT IS THE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE IN THE CLASSROOM BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE VERY MUCH SENSE IF CHILDREN ARE BEING TAUGHT IN A LANGUAGE WHICH THEY NEVER WHOLLY GRASPED, IT DOESN'T MUCH HELP IF CHILDREN ARE BEING TAUGHT IN SOMETHING THAT IS HALF CHINESE AND HALF ENGLISH. WHAT WE WANT IS THE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE BUT I HOPE WE CAN LEAD PARENTS AND SCHOOLS IN THIS DIRECTION RATHER THAN DRIVE THEM I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE VIEW OF SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS AS WELL.
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/MR VICENT CHENG: