Outrage over primary school textbook that asks pupils to 'match the races'
'Many offended' by books that ask primary pupils to identify physical characteristics of different races and match them to likely jobs
Two education scholars are behind a series of general studies textbooks that have sparked bitter controversy for their racially stereotypical contents.
The textbooks - - are co-authored by Irene Cheng Nga-yee, assistant professor in the Institute of Education's department of science and environment studies, and Teresa Chai Yip Wai-lin, former deputy head of the institute's department of social sciences.
Neither the scholars nor the publisher, Educational Publishing House, could be reached for comment last night.
The textbooks, for primary pupils, have been criticised for their focus on physical differences among races and stereotypes about their life and work.
In a chapter called , in a textbook titled pupils are required to discuss how "foreigners" live based on photos showing people of different ethnic backgrounds doing different jobs. One of the photos shows a white male in a neat, black suit carrying a black suitcase, while another photo shows a South Asian man on a construction site.
In the workbook accompanying the textbook - published for Primary Three pupils - children are asked to complete word bubbles for five cartoon figures.
A bubble next to a white man with an English textbook reads, "I am [blank]. I am an English teacher", while the text next to a woman with darker skin reads, "I am [blank]. I am a domestic helper in Hong Kong". Choices for the blanks include British, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
