Ethnic Minority Groups In Hong Kongs Education System Education Essay

Hong Kong is a globalized metropolis of which its population consists of diverse cultural groups. Harmonizing to the 2006 Population By-Census, 95 % of Hong Kong 's population was Chinese and the staying 5 % was composed of different cultural minority groups. The cultural minority groups include Filipino, Indonesian, White, Indian and Nepali etc. In recent old ages, non-government organisations and force per unit area groups like Hong Kong Unison have point out that the cultural minority, particularly South-East Asian ; have troubles in accommodating to Hong Kong 's instruction system.

They suggest that authorities has merely small support toward the cultural minority groups in the instruction system. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserts the rule of non-discrimination and proclaims that every individual has the right to instruction. It is based on the rules of the self-respect and equality inherent in all human existences[ 1 ]. Hence, it is the authorities 's responsibility to supply an equal chance to all cultural minority groups in the instruction system.

In the undermentioned paragraphs, I am traveling to discourse the major factors that taking to educational inequality among cultural minority groups in Hong Kong. As will be argued, deficiency of educational chance, linguistic communication barrier, scrutiny system and the quality of instructor would be factors that taking the cultural minority groups being deprived in Hong Kong 's instruction system.The most important job would be deficiency of educational chance. Harmonizing to a study, 51.4 % of cultural minorities think that they have `` merely a few picks '' in chances of surveies ( Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service, 2002 ) .

One of the causes is the linguistic communication differences. In the 2006 By-Census, those who identified themselves as cultural minorities normally admitted that their `` usual linguistic communication '' is languages other than Chinese or English. But in Hong Kong, most primary schools use Chinese as the medium of instructions. In secondary instruction, there are merely 114 registered English secondary schools.

Among these 114 schools, merely 10 schools are allowed to jump Chinese and utilize Gallic as permutation ( Ku, Chan & A ; Sandhu, 2005 ) .Seven out of these 10 schools are traditional esteemed schools. As most of the cultural minorities are from lower stria schools, the opportunities of traveling into these band one schools are really limited under acute competition. Although international schools could be an alternate, but the propertyless cultural minority households are hard to afford the school fee. Hence, the educational chance for working-class cultural minority households is even smaller.Another important job would be linguistic communication job.

Harmonizing to statistic from Society for Community Organization, 76.6 % of cultural minority parents though that their kids had enormous troubles larning Chinese. As suggested by Dr. Ku ( 2005 ) , `` they might non hold been able to pick up the linguistic communication every bit easy as their Chinese opposite numbers since parental engagement is really limited or wholly losing when it came to the Chinese topic '' ( P.

9 ) . In add-on to missing suited text editions and learning stuffs for lingual minorities, it is difficult for the cultural minorities to follow the Chinese course of study. These straight hinder the learning advancement of the cultural minorities. Compare with the locals, they are placed in a deprived place, in peculiar, the cultural minorities in CMI ( Chinese Medium of Instructions ) schools. As most of the topics are teach in Chinese, this affects their understanding towards the topics. In order to acquire a similar consequence as the locals do, it is likely that they need to pay excess attempt.

The scrutiny system besides contributes to the want of cultural minorities in the instruction system. In Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination ( HKCEE ) , unlike English, there is merely one course of study for Chinese. In other words, cultural minority campaigners have to take the same paper as the locals do. The taging criterion and demands would besides be the same.

As mentioned, cultural minorities normally have troubles in larning Chinese. Hence, it is non uncommon that the consequence is worse than the locals. In 2008 HKCEE, Hong Kong Unison found that there are merely 124 cultural minority campaigners met the lower limit demands for farther survey in S6, `` this represent 39.2 % of the entire taking the scrutiny, whereas for local pupils, 51.

8 % can run into the standards for admittance to S6 in the HKCEE '' ( as cited in Carmichael, 2009, p.19 ) . Although there are different lending the hapless public presentation, `` but it is extremely likely that hapless public presentation in Chinese is a major factor '' ( Carmichael, 2009, p.19 ) .

Hence, it is difficult to state the scrutiny system is just to every campaigner. This, in bends, bounds their opportunity in fostering their survey.Last but non the least, the quality of instructor is one of the factors that worsen the want. Some instructors treat pupils below the belt because their race or cultural.

In a research, `` More than 30 % of the pupils by and large feel that their instructors care about Chinese pupils more than they do non-Chinese pupils in school. Among all the pupils, 30 % of them feel that their instructors dislike learning cultural minority pupils '' ( Ku, Chan & A ; Sandhu, 2005, p.25 ) . With this unequal and unjust intervention, this may adversely impact the acquisition advancement every bit good as the larning motive of the cultural minorities. Even more, it is go againsting the basic human rights of the cultural minorities.

Although some instructors may non hold this biased attitude, `` instructors find it difficult to manage different ability degrees as they are non trained to make so, and categories are big, doing it hard to supply single attending to run into different demands '' ( Carmichael, 2009, p.17 ) . This makes the instruction is non effectual and it is difficult for the cultural minorities to catch up the acquisition advancement of the category.To reason, the major ground of low instruction attainment of cultural minorities is non because their ability or attitude ; instead, it is because they are structurally deprived in the instruction system.

Particular consideration, such as bettering lingual supports in schools and supplying alternate making of Chinese in public test, should be given to cultural minorities in order to do the instruction system just and merely. Nowadays, Hong Kong prides in being a globalized metropolis. But being a globalized metropolis is non merely about economic sequence and accomplishments, but besides about the inclusiveness of different ethnics in all facets. Merely when these things happen, can Hong Kong genuinely calls itself a globalized metropolis and maintains its repute in the international position.