XN000022-1989-11-22 — Page 9

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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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