THE FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE REFORMS (a) Statement of guiding principles

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(d) Public consultation

6.3.18 Following the publication of the Working Group's report in October 1989, there was a period lasting two and a half months for public consultation and debate. Written comments were received from 105 respondents (listed in Annex 6B), many of whom represented groups of people. In addition, 32 seminars were held during the period of public consultation for those interested in the issue such as school principals, the staff of Colleges of Education, representatives of tertiary institutions, the Professional Teachers' Union, the Church of Christ in China, the Hong Kong General Chambers of Commerce, District Boards etc. We will outline the public comments on the report as we cover the issues concerned.

6.4 THE FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE REFORMS

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Commission's views and proposals. This was promulgated in 1986 and embodied the two following principles -(i) secondary school authorities should be encouraged to adopt Chinese as the medium of instruction

since, all other things being equal, teaching and learning would be generally more effective if the medium of instruction were Chinese; and

(ii) individual school authorities should themselves decide whether their medium of instruction should be English or Chinese.

We believe that these principles remain valid. Implicit in these principles is the belief that whilst students can learn better in their mother tongue, those who have the proven ability to learn effectively in English should be given the opportunity to do so. Our proposed framework takes as a third principle

-(iii) the use of mixed-code in schools should be reduced in favour of the clear and consistent use in each class of Chinese or English in respect of teaching, textbooks and examinations.

We explain the rationale behind this principle in paragraph 6.4.3.

(b) Resolution of specific issues

6.4.2 In formulating a framework of comprehensive reforms, in addition to adhering to the above mentioned principles, we have also taken into account several complex factors. The first is the phenomenon of mixed-code teaching, as a result of which children may not become proficient in the full range of language skills in Chinese or English. The second is the need to consider the interests of the community as a whole and of various groups in the community. These have

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to be balanced against each other so that in responding to, for example, the needs of the economy, those of our students are not overlooked. The third is the adoption of a clear medium of instruction by schools. Schools should choose which medium to use in order to best meet the needs of their students. The fourth is the concern that the level of English in primary schools has fallen and that this is due in part to the abolition of the SSEE.

Finally, we consider the need for bridging and language enhancement courses.

(i) Mixed-code and medium of instruction

6.4.3 We recognise that teaching and learning are generally more effective if the medium of instruction is either the mother tongue or English (for those who are able to learn effectively through this medium).

Unfortunately, however, the use of mixed-code is quite common in many of our classrooms. In English-medium schools, while the textbooks, written work and examinations are in English, teachers often use Cantonese to explain the lesson material to students and to conduct discussions with students. In some cases, this can lead to time being wasted on translation of English texts in class and, worse still, learning being reduced to rote memorisation of facts in English. This time could be better spent on problem-solving, analysis and discussion of issues, all of which would be of more value to students' cognitive development. Clearly, students are disadvantaged if they study in a medium in which they are not proficient. The research projects jointly carried out by the University of Hong Kong and the ERE and reported in ECR 2 (in Annex IV A3 of ECR 2) indicated that only some 30% of Secondary 3 students could perform effectively in English.

6.4.4 Given our view that it would be better if one clear medium of instruction for teaching, textbooks and examinations were used, it follows that the use of mixed-code should be reduced as far as possible. The corollary to this is that it is necessary for students to be grouped according to which

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medium of instruction is most appropriate for them. Students will need to be placed in Chinese-medium classes or English-medium classes on the basis of their ability to learn effectively in that medium.

6.4.5 Public opinion was divided as to whether or not medium of instruction grouping should be introduced. Opponents criticized grouping, fearing that it would lead to social differentiation, elitism, a distortion of the primary school curriculum and that it would be difficult to administer. Those in favour of grouping felt that English-medium education should continue to be available for some children and agreed that only when English was used as the medium of instruction could the necessary exposure be provided to maintain and improve standards. A few respondents considered there were some positive aspects to mixed-code teaching but more felt that elimination of such teaching was desirable.

6.4.6 We remain firmly of the opinion that students should be grouped by reference to a medium in which they could learn effectively.

(ii) Needs and interests of the community

6.4.7 Hong Kong is an international business, financial and trading centre. English therefore has an important place in the economic life of our community. In order to maintain Hong Kong's international position, we have to ensure that we produce sufficient well-educated people able to communicate in both English and Chinese. Political and social developments mean that we also need to give proper emphasis to the use of Chinese. Our proposed framework, therefore, ensures that the need for proficient users of both languages is met.

6.4.8 At present, the needs of our economy are not well defined. Through consultation with the Chambers of Commerce and the business community and through research projects such as those to be conducted by the ILE and jointly by the Hong

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Kong Baptist College and the Hong Kong Polytechnic^* , we will in due course be in a better position to judge exactly what Hong Kong's needs are in terms of English and Chinese practitioners. From the educational point of view, it would seem at present that only around 30% of students may be able to learn effectively through English though this percentage may rise with improvements in teaching and learning. The remainder, that is to say the majority, would benefit more from their education if they were to learn in their mother tongue. In catering for the needs of our economy, we believe that the interests of the majority of our students should not be sacrificed. Our aim is to ensure that all students learn through a medium which will enable them to achieve their academic potential.

6.4.9 At present, however, many parents in Hong Kong believe that English-medium instruction is better for their children, in that it will open the door to better tertiary education and employment opportunities. They perceive a Chinese-medium education as a potential handicap to their children's future. They are therefore reluctant, for the present at least, to accept that their children might be educationally disadvantaged by learning through English or mixed-code. We believe that the expansion of tertiary places and the provision of bridging courses to help Chinese-medium students adjust to English-medium tertiary education should improve this situation. Moreover, as Chinese is increasingly

* The ILE is undertaking two projects. One will identify the proficiency gap between both Secondary 5 school leavers and Technical Institute graduates, and the language levels required by different work sectors.

Guidelines for use by, for example, schools, curriculum developers, commerce and industry will be produced. The second will analyse language needs in the education system and in the commercial and industrial sectors as a basis for longer term planning in education. The joint project to be conducted by the Hong Kong Baptist College and the Hong Kong Polytechnic will research "The changing pattern of

language use, language performance and perceptions of language performance requirements in Hong Kong".

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placed on an equal basis with English for legal and administrative purposes, the civil service is localised and the awareness of a Chinese identity is enhanced towards 1997, parental views may change over time.

6.4.10 To assist parents to make a rational and informed choice as to which medium would suit their children best and thus help them select schools accordingly, objective assessment is needed at Primary 6 which will differentiate those who would learn better through their mother tongue from those who could learn effectively through English. We also need an appropriate number of teachers able to teach in each medium. Teachers will therefore need pre-service training that focuses more on language skills and for existing teachers, additional in-service training will be needed so that teachers may teach effectively in Chinese or in English.

(iii) Adoption of a clear policy of medium of instruction by schools

6.4.11 We have explained earlier that our objectives are to encourage Chinese-medium instruction, to minimise mixed -code teaching and to give schools the choice as to which medium of instruction they use. Having accepted that medium of instruction grouping of students was necessary, we considered whether this should be done by class or by schools. We were aware of the operational problems^* which would be faced by schools opting to become two-medium schools in which some classes would be taught in the medium of Chinese and some in the medium of English. These schools would, however, provide greater flexibility for parents' choice and enable individual students to switch more readily from one medium to another. This, coupled with the Commission's over-riding belief in the importance of giving free and

* Not the least of these problems would be the complications of allocation after Secondary 3 for asymmetrical schools.

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responsible choice to schools authorities to make decisions for their own school has led to the inclusion of two-medium schools, in addition to Chinese-two-medium and English-two-medium schools in our framework.

6.4.12 Public opinion was divided on whether grouping should be by class or by school. 19 respondents commented on the issue. Grouping by class was opposed by some on the grounds that it would create administrative difficulties, would be divisive, and would not raise the standard of English. Those in favour of grouping by class believed that learning of languages and subjects would be much more effective. Although public opinion was divided on grouping and whether it should be done by class or by school, most respondents who commented on grouping, including advocates of mother tongue teaching, called for the choice to be left to the schools. They believed that schools were the best judge of which medium of instruction should be used in their school or whether instruction in both media should be offered.

6.4.13 Schools would, in making their choice, take into account the language ability of their students and teachers and the views of the parents concerned. Should schools experience a change, either in the language achievement levels of their student intake or in the language ability of their teachers, and therefore wish to switch to another medium or to change the proportion of classes offered in each, this could be considered providing that ED agreed that this was an appropriate course of action.

6.4.14 The problem is that because parents perceive English-medium instruction as providing a better future for their children, pressure is placed on schools to offer English-medium teaching, which means in practice that they offer instead mixed-code teaching. In the face of this pressure, schools are reluctant to change to Chinese-medium. Moreover, they fear that if they change to Chinese-medium on

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their own, they could thereby receive lower band students. We will, therefore, be setting a timetable in the next section for all schools to adopt a clear policy concerning medium of instruction at the same time.

(iv) Standard of English at primary level

6.4.15 We were concerned that the poor level of English achieved by students in primary schools was a factor in the apparent decline in English standards in Hong Kong. We noted in the Report of the Working Group that research conducted by the ERE showed a sharp decline at upper primary level in the standards of English between 1976 and 1979 due to the broadening of the curriculum and the removal of the English language test in the SSEE. Further research has shown, however, that since 1981 English standards in primary schools have been steadily rising but have not yet reached the 1976 level.

6.4.16 We appreciate that the abolition of the SSEE removed the phenomenon whereby students were often tutored to pass the examination to the detriment of other aspects of their education. Nonetheless, with the introduction of the proposed assessment of English at Primary 6, we hope to see a more balanced focusing of attention among teachers and students on what should be achieved in the languages at primary level.

(v) Bridging courses and enhancement of Chinese and English

6.4.17 We noted that the Working Group recommended a bridging course at Secondary 1 and another between secondary and tertiary education to assist students transferring from Chinese-medium to English-medium education. Generally, there

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was good support among the public for the bridging courses proposed.

6.4.18 We support the recommended bridging courses but wish to propose additional ways of further reinforcement. When whole-day schooling is introduced at Primary 5 and Primary 6, more time will be available for students to participate in additional English and Chinese language activities. Summer camps with immersion in English could also be useful. The Government should consider providing assistance and resources for the organization of such programmes.

(c) The proposed framework

6.4.19 Taking into account both the guiding principles and the specific issues that we have resolved, we now outline a framework for Hong Kong's language in education policy. As a starting point, as mentioned in paragraph 6.4.11, we need an objective assessment instrument to determine which students should use which medium. We consider it necessary, in fact, for two assessments to be conducted : one to assess achievement in English and one to assess information- processing and study skills in Chinese. Subject to research these instruments will be drawn from the target-related assessments in Chinese and in English to be devised for Primary 6 (described in Chapter 5). The two assessments taken together will demonstrate whether a student has developed information-processing skills in the mother tongue which can then be transferred to English, and if so, whether he has enough English to start using English for study purposes in secondary school. On the basis of the results children would be grouped in terms of their ability to learn in Chinese or English. As an example it should be possible to prescribe three groups as follows

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C - Students who would learn best through the Chinese medium

B - Students who would probably learn better through the Chinese medium but who are possibly able also to learn in English

E - Students who are able to learn effectively in English many of whom could equally well learn in Chinese should they so wish

6.4.20 We do not propose that these two assessments be used for the purpose of allocating places in secondary schools to students. This is because if achievement in English and information-processing and study skills in Chinese became the only criteria for allocation, the primary curriculum would become distorted. We consider therefore that the SSPA system, which is based on internal assessments covering the whole curriculum scaled by the AAT, be maintained. When the target-related assessments at Primary 6 come on stream, they will be used in Chinese, English and Mathematics together with internal assessments for other subjects.

6.4.21 Schools would be divided into three types : Chinese-medium, English-medium and two-medium.

Schools would be free to choose for themselves which medium of instruction they would like to use and what proportion of classes in each medium they would like to offer. As mentioned earlier, as circumstances changed, schools could choose to change their medium of instruction or the proportion of classes taught in each.

6.4.22 The assessments designed to determine an appropriate medium of instruction for each student would be administered before the SSPA allocation and the results would be given to both parents and schools.

Parents would still be free to choose any of the three types of school for their

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children, but armed with objective information on their children's achievement, they would be in a position to select schools best suited for their children's educational development. Thus, parents of children in Groups B and C would be advised to select places in Chinese-medium or two-medium schools. Parents of Group E children could choose places in English-medium, two-medium or Chinese-medium schools.

6.4.23 With the results of the assessments to hand, secondary schools would be in a better position to choose an appropriate medium or mediums of instruction to meet the needs of their student intake. Within our framework, therefore, allocation would still be based on the SSPA system and in terms of medium of instruction parents and schools would be encouraged to do what is best for their children.

6.4.24 We recommend that the framework we have proposed in paragraphs 6.4.19 to 6.4.23 above should be adopted in Hong Kong.

6.5 IMPLEMENTATION