Bilingual classes in Hong Kong public schools suit Chinese and non-Chinese alike
Two public schools have stepped up to the challenge of providing cost-effective options for bilingual learning
While the number of international schools in Hong Kong has grown over the past decade, non-Chinese parents, among them long-time residents in Hong Kong, are looking for a bilingual education for their children, and at a much lower cost.
And two public schools have sought to meet their need.
"Eight years ago, we noticed that the number of non-Chinese families living in Sai Kung was growing," says the principal of the Lee Sin Yam Memorial Primary School, Lewis Ng Chor-kung.
"Some of them had children who were enrolled in local kindergartens, and receiving basic bilingual education. I met parents who were looking for a school with a more well-rounded environment where both English and Cantonese are used, so we decided to alter our curriculum to cater for these needs."
The core curriculum at Lee Sin Yam is similar to other public schools, except that they have two streams. In one stream, all subjects are taught in Chinese (except English).
In the other stream (the Chinese-English stream), core subjects such as mathematics and computer studies are taught in English, while other subjects are taught in Cantonese or Putonghua. Children who come from households where Cantonese is not used receive extra language assistance through project-learning, debate, drama, sports and field trips incorporated into the curriculum, allowing them to interact with Cantonese-speaking children in a more informal environment.
