Be clear on language of subjects, schools urged

Secondary schools have been told to spell out their language of instruction clearly for all subjects in profiles to be sent out next month amid fears parents will be confused by the government's fine-tuned language policy.


Deputy Secretary for Education Mabel Chan said yesterday that each school must clearly spell out the language adopted for each subject to ensure parents were well-informed.

Chan said that more than 300 of the 400-odd secondary schools in the city had already submitted their medium-of-instruction proposals to the government.

She did not disclose how many schools chose English or Chinese as the main medium of instruction, but said the government would ensure the information offered would be 100 per cent accurate.

In their profiles, schools will list subjects taught in English or Chinese and their own language policy in the new system, under which schools can choose different languages for different classes and subjects.

Ho Hon-kuen, a vice-chairman of the teachers' group Education Convergence, said it would be very hard to comprehend the teaching language by reading the school profiles.

It will be very difficult for parents. What is more is that for some subjects, the same schools will adopt both English and Chinese as the medium of instruction for different classes, he said.

Chan said the new policy aimed at offering more flexibility to schools and students.

Ho said it would have been better for the profiles to disclose each school's background information and teaching quality. It would be of more value for parents to pick a school for its suitability for their children rather than what the teaching language will be, he said.

Copyright (c) 2009. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sources:
Wisenews (South China Morning Post) 06 Nov 2009 (Friday)

Link:
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Questions:
1.How can the government ensure that the information provided by schools is 100% accurate?
2.Will the languages used to teach subjects affect the parents' choice in picking up schools for their children?