Existing and planned measures on the promotion of racial equality
Education Bureau
The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting the integration of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students 1 into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system and mastery of the Chinese language. All eligible children, irrespective of their races or places of birth, enjoy equal opportunities for admission to Primary One and Secondary One of public sector schools under the respective school places allocation systems which are fair and transparent with due regard to parents’ school choices.
Starting from the 2014/15 school year, EDB has implemented a series of enhanced support measures to step up the support for NCS students’ effective learning of the Chinese language and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools. The policy intent is to encourage parents of NCS students to arrange for their children to study in schools with an immersed Chinese language environment as early as possible to facilitate their mastery of the Chinese language. Major support measures are as follows:
The “Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework”
Services
Concerned The “Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework” (“Learning Framework”), which was drawn up in consultation with teachers and language experts, and complemented by learning and teaching materials, has been implemented in primary and secondary schools since the 2014/15 school year to help NCS students learn Chinese.
Existing
Measures The Learning Framework
Developed from the perspective of second language learners, the Learning Framework sets out clearly the expected learning outcomes of NCS students at different learning stages. This is to support teachers in setting progressive learning targets, learning progress and expected learning outcomes to enhance the learning effectiveness of NCS students.
1 For the planning of educational support measures, students whose spoken language at home is not Chinese are broadly categorised as NCS students. The Education Bureau (EDB) collects student information, including their spoken language at home and ethnicity, etc., from schools every school year for education-related purposes.
To provide teachers with guidance and support in curriculum planning, learning and teaching, and assessment, EDB has continually been developing diversified learning and teaching resources, such as the “Chinese Language Assessment Tools for NCS Students” and teaching reference materials. All these resources have been uploaded to the EDB webpage and will be updated on an ongoing basis.
Among others, EDB is developing a set of learning and teaching materials, including student textbooks, workbooks and teaching reference materials, for NCS students at the primary level. The materials have been uploaded to the EDB webpage and distributed to schools by phases and more learning and teaching materials will be uploaded later.
Schools may adapt these materials with reference to their curriculum to cater for the diverse learning needs of NCS students.
Enhanced Funding Support for Schools
Starting from the 2014/15 school year, EDB has substantially increased the additional funding to schools, and provided schools with teaching resources, teacher training and professional support to further enhance the support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese, including the implementation of the Learning Framework in primary and secondary schools, and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools. All public sector primary and secondary schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) primary and secondary schools offering the local curriculum (ordinary schools) and admitting 10 or more NCS students, and special schools admitting 6 or more NCS students are provided with an additional funding ranging from $0.65 million to $1.5 million per year depending on the number of NCS students admitted. The ordinary schools concerned are required to, based on the results of the “Chinese Language Assessment Tools for NCS students”, as well as the learning performance and progress of their NCS students, adjust the learning targets and adopt diversified intensive learning and teaching modes, such as pull out learning, split-class/group learning, after-school consolidation, etc. as appropriate, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of NCS students’ learning of Chinese.
The schools concerned can also appoint assistants of diverse races and/or procure translation services to strengthen communication with parents of NCS students and organise multi-cultural activities.
As regards ordinary schools admitting a relatively small number of NCS students (i.e. 1 to 9 students) and special schools admitting 1 to 5 NCS students, their NCS students can benefit from the immersed Chinese language environment of the schools, as well as the Learning Framework. These schools might also apply for an additional funding of $50,000 per year on a need basis to offer after-school Chinese language support programmes up to the 2019/20 school year.
To enhance the support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools, starting from the 2020/21 school year, EDB has provided a new funding mode for ordinary schools admitting 1 to 9 NCS students and special schools admitting 1 to 5 NCS students, under which these schools are provided with an additional funding of $0.15 million or
$0.3 million per year depending on the number of NCS students admitted. In planning the deployment of the funding, schools are encouraged to optimise the use of their immersed Chinese language environment and work out holistic plans that dovetail with existing measures and resources in light of their school-based circumstances. The amount of the additional funding provided to all schools admitting NCS students will also be adjusted on a school year basis according to the year-on-year movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index or the annual rate of the Civil Service Pay Adjustment.
Professional Development for Teachers
All teachers teaching NCS students are provided with training opportunities. To enhance teachers’ professional capability of teaching NCS students, EDB has been continually organising diversified and systematic professional development programmes, arranging successful experience sharing covering topics such as curriculum planning, learning and teaching strategies, and assessment, as well as developing school-based teaching materials and exemplars to deepen teachers’ understanding of the Learning Framework and master effective teaching methods.
Besides, the “Professional Enhancement Grant Scheme for Chinese Language Teachers (Teaching Chinese as a Second Language)” under the Language Fund has been launched since 2014 to enhance Chinese Language teachers’
professional capability for teaching Chinese as a second language. To further encourage qualified teachers to apply for the grant, the reimbursable basic grant rate has been increased from 30% to 50% of the tuition fee and the maximum grant rate has been increased from $34,000 to
$64,000 per teacher starting from the 2019/20 school year.
The 5-week programme “Certificate in Professional Development Programme on the Teaching of Chinese Language for NCS Students”, funded by EDB and conducted by the Education University of Hong Kong, for Chinese Language teachers teaching NCS students in primary and secondary schools will continue.
Schools are invited to share their good practices and school- based experiences in supporting NCS students’ learning of Chinese and promoting cultural integration, with a view to facilitating professional exchange among schools.
Besides, annual sharing sessions for schools are organised in collaboration with the Equal Opportunities Commission to explain how the Race Discrimination Ordinance, Cap. 602 of the Laws of Hong Kong, is relevant to schools in formulating policies, and encourage schools to promote cultural inclusiveness.
School-based Support Services
EDB provides diversified school-based support services which include helping schools adapt their school-based curriculum and develop appropriate learning and teaching materials by making reference to the Learning Framework.
Through building professional learning communities and facilitating experience sharing among schools, teachers’
professional capacity for helping NCS students learn Chinese effectively is enhanced. Every year, schools may apply for the relevant support services according to their development needs.
EDB continues commissioning post-secondary institutions to provide intensive school-based support services for primary and secondary schools admitting NCS students in the three school years from 2019/20 to 2021/22. The two services for primary schools and transition from kindergarten to primary education commenced in October 2019, providing school-based support to 28 primary schools in the 2019/20 school year. Another service on transition from primary to secondary education commenced in the 2020/21 school year, providing school-based support to 8 primary schools and 16 secondary schools. In the 2020/21 school year, the three school-based support services above are provided to a total of 36 primary schools and 16 secondary schools.
Assessment of Future Work
EDB reviews and evaluates the effectiveness of related support measures on an ongoing basis, and refines the measures as necessary. We will look into the learning objectives, curriculum planning, instructional materials and teaching strategies adopted by the schools, language proficiency and learning motivation of NCS students and other contributing factors for effective learning.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
EDB will continue collecting views from stakeholders and consider refinement of the support measures as appropriate.
Articulation to Multiple Pathways Services
Concerned NCS students may, taking into account their needs and aspirations, choose to study Chinese Language, or Applied Learning Chinese (for NCS students) (ApL(C)) in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), and/or obtain internationally recognised alternative Chinese Language qualifications at the senior secondary level to prepare for further studies and career pursuits.
Existing
Measures ApL(C)
Starting from the 2014/15 school year, the introduction of ApL(C) pegged at the Qualifications Framework Levels 1 to 3 provides NCS students at the senior secondary level with an additional channel to obtain an alternative Chinese Language qualification to prepare them for further studies and career pursuits. ApL(C) results are reported as
“Attained” and “Attained with Distinction” on the HKDSE
certificate.
Alternative Chinese Language Qualifications
Alternative Chinese Language qualifications include those under the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Subsidiary (AS)-Level and the GCE Advanced (A)-Level. Eligible NCS students2 entering for these examinations at present are only required to pay a
“subsidised examination fee” on par with that of the HKDSE Chinese Language3.
Others
To enhance the employability of NCS school leavers, the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research launched in April 2016 the “Vocational Chinese Language Courses for NCS School Leavers” pegged at Level 1 or 2 of the Qualifications Framework. Students meeting the relevant requirements can receive a subsidy of up to 85% of the tuition fee.
Assessment of Future Work
The alternative Chinese Language qualifications and ApL(C) are recognised for meeting the general entrance requirements for admission to University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities and most post-secondary institutions as well as appointments to the Civil Service.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
For eligible NCS students taking the HKDSE Chinese Language but not reaching Level 3 or above, the UGC- funded universities may exercise their discretion on the Chinese Language requirement and consider their applications for admission on a case-by-case basis.
2 Specifically, these NCS students are those who have learnt Chinese Language for either – (a) less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education; or
(b) six years or more in schools, but have been taught an adapted and simpler curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in local schools.
3 With the Government’s measure to pay the examination fees for school candidates entering for the HKDSE from 2019 to 2021, the “subsidised examination fee” of eligible NCS students entering for the above-mentioned non-local Chinese Language examinations from the 2018/19 to 2020/21 school years was waived accordingly.
Other Support Measures
The Chinese Language Learning Support Centres Services
Concerned Remedial programmes after school hours and during holidays for NCS students have been offered since mid- 2007, with a view to reinforcing the learning of the Chinese language of NCS students, in particular the late starters, and rendering professional support to teachers.
Existing
Measures The Chinese Language Learning Support Centres (the Centres), commissioned to a tertiary education institution, continue to offer remedial programmes at 20 venues in the 2020/21 school year. The Centres also provide learning and teaching resources and organise workshops for experience sharing for Chinese Language teachers as well as workshops for parents of NCS students on the support for NCS students’ learning of Chinese.
The number of NCS students enrolled in the Centres was about 920 in the 2020/21 school year.
Assessment of Future Work
The after-school programme for NCS students and workshops for teachers and parents will be kept under review in light of changing circumstances alongside the provision of after-school support in learning the Chinese language by individual schools admitting NCS students with the additional funding provided.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
EDB will continue to offer the existing programme and consider making refinements as appropriate.
Summer Bridging Programme Services
Concerned The Summer Bridging Programme aims to help NCS students adapt to the new learning environment, widen their learning experience and exposure to the use of Cantonese as the medium of instruction in the real classroom situation, consolidate what they have learnt at Key Stage 1 and prepare for their transition to Key Stage 2.
Existing
Measures Starting from the summer of 2007, the 4-week Summer Bridging Programme for newly admitted NCS Primary 1 students has been extended to NCS students proceeding to
Primary 2, 3 and 4.
Starting from the summer of 2013, the Summer Bridging Programme has been refined by allowing parents of NCS students to accompany their children during the Programme, with a view to enhancing their exposure to and use of Chinese and hence the support for their children.
In the 2020/21 school year, about 210 NCS students and 30 parents of NCS students participated in the programme.
Assessment of Future work
Review of the Summer Bridging Programme is conducted on an annual basis.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
EDB will continue to organise the Summer Bridging Programme.
Grant for Supporting NCS Students with Special Educational Needs Services
Concerned Starting from the 2019/20 school year, EDB provides a recurrent cash grant known as the Grant for Supporting NCS Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) (the Grant) for public sector ordinary primary and secondary schools and DSS schools admitting NCS students with SEN so as to help schools strengthen the emotional, communication and social support for these students, thus helping them adapt to different learning stages and integrate into school life.
Existing
Measures The Grant is disbursed under a 3-tier structure according to the number of NCS students with SEN admitted in each school and the grant rates are adjusted annually according to the change in the Composite Consumer Price Index. In the 2020/21 school year, $100,700 is provided for a school admitting 1 to 9 NCS students with SEN; $201,400 for 10 to 25 students; and $302,100 for 26 or more students.
Schools can pool the Grant and other additional resources, such as the Learning Support Grant, for holistic and flexible deployment to employ teaching assistants to assist teachers in designing activities and teaching materials, procure translation services to enhance the communication and collaboration with parents of NCS students, provide the students concerned with social and emotional management
training, etc.
Assessment of Future Work
The professional staff of EDB conduct regular visits to schools to get a grasp of their utilisation of the additional resources for providing appropriate support and offer advice to schools on effective deployment of resources to help the students concerned adapt to and make smooth transition through different learning stages.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
EDB will continue to promote professional exchanges and sharing among schools, review the relevant measures on an ongoing basis and propose improvement measures as necessary and where feasible.
Providing Life Planning Education Activities for NCS Students at the Secondary Level
Services
Concerned To facilitate NCS students at the secondary level in understanding their career orientation, and learn about different study pathways and jobs through career exploration activities and work experience opportunities.
Existing
Measures Starting from the 2018/19 school year, EDB has commissioned a non-governmental organisation to organise career exploration activities for NCS students at the secondary level, including visits to post-secondary institutions, workplace visits, work experience programmes, etc., to help them make informed choices on further studies and careers, set personal goals and plan their future. The programme has also provided training courses for teachers and parents of NCS students of the participating schools to enhance their capability of supporting NCS students in life planning education.
Assessment of Future Work
EDB adopts various means to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness and progress of the programme, such as conducting regular visits to the participating schools to keep track of the implementation of the activities and listen to the views and needs of teachers and students, as well as conducting review meetings with the service provider and requesting the submission of reports by the service provider.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
EDB will refine the programme with reference to the review findings.
Promotion of Early Adaptation Services
Concerned Parents of NCS children are encouraged to send their children to local kindergartens4 for early exposure to an immersed Chinese language environment conducive to NCS children’s language learning and their smooth transition to mainstream primary schools.
Existing
Measures Kindergarten
School-based support services are provided to support kindergartens in enhancing teachers’ professional capacity for teaching Chinese to NCS children and facilitate their smooth transition from kindergarten to primary education.
Teacher training programmes on the learning and teaching of the Chinese language for NCS students in kindergartens will also be enhanced. Seminars/workshops on young children development and catering for learner diversity are organised to enhance teachers’ professional capacity.
EDB continues commissioning post-secondary institutions to provide intensive school-based support services for kindergartens admitting NCS students in the three school years from 2019/20 to 2021/22. The two services for the transition from kindergarten to primary education and kindergartens commenced in October and November 2019 respectively, providing school-based support to 28 kindergartens in each of the 2019/20 and 2020/21 school years.
Others
In collaboration with non-governmental organisations, district-based programmes have been conducted since July 2012 for motivating NCS children to learn Chinese through activities.
As regards kindergarten admission, dedicated briefing sessions in English (with interpretation services in languages of diverse races provided as necessary) for parents of NCS children are organised annually. In the meantime, we also organise briefing sessions in collaboration with the Support Services Centres for Ethnic
4 Kindergartens, kindergarten-cum-child care centres and schools with kindergarten classes are referred to as “kindergartens”.
Minority funded by the Home Affairs Department, with a view to better reaching out to parents of NCS children, so as to enhance their understanding of admission procedures of kindergartens, and also encourage them to arrange for their children to study in local kindergartens for early exposure to an immersed Chinese language environment.
Assessment of Future Work
EDB will continue to conduct curriculum development visits and focus group interviews to collect information and good practices on catering for learner diversity, particularly on NCS children’s learning of Chinese, for sharing with schools.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
With the implementation of the kindergarten education policy starting from the 2017/18 school year, a grant comparable to the salary of one kindergarten teacher was provided to kindergartens admitting eight or more NCS students. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, a 5-tiered grant is provided for kindergartens joining the kindergarten education scheme according to the number of NCS students admitted. A kindergarten admitting one NCS student also receives the grant and the grant rate for the highest tier is a double of the previous level. Professional development for teachers on support for NCS children in kindergartens is also strengthened.
Information for NCS Students and Their Parents Services
Concerned The objective of the services is to help NCS students and their parents understand the local education system in Hong Kong, major education policies and the related education services, and facilitate parents of NCS students in making informed school choices.
Existing
Measures Widening the School Choices of Parents of NCS Students
EDB has been actively encouraging parents of NCS students to arrange for their children to study in schools which provide an immersed Chinese language environment. This is conducive to their children’s learning of Chinese as well as integration into the community. EDB has abolished the so-called “designated schools” system5 since the 2013/14
5 From the 2006/07 to 2012/13 school years, schools admitting a critical mass of NCS students, having experience in taking care of NCS students, and ready to partner with EDB to develop school-based support measures and share experiences with other schools were provided with a special grant. These schools were generally referred to as the so-called “designated schools”.
school year, with a view to dispelling the misnomer
“designated schools” and raising schools’ awareness of supporting NCS students’ learning of Chinese. With the implementation of the enhanced support measures, the number of public sector and DSS schools offering the local curriculum and admitting NCS students has gradually increased from about 590 in the 2013/14 school year to about 650 in the 2020/21 school year, which covers about 70% of the schools in total. This shows that the new support mode and measures have widened the school choices of parents of NCS students.
Dissemination of Information
The Non-Chinese Speaking Parent Information Package:
Your Guide to Education in Hong Kong (Information Package) published in Chinese and English with translation into languages of diverse races has been provided to parents of NCS students through Regional Education Offices, School Places Allocation Section, and Placement and Support Section of EDB, Federations of Parent-Teacher Associations of all districts, Maternal and Child Health Centres of the Department of Health, Home Affairs Enquiry Centres and Support Service Centres for Ethnic Minorities of the Home Affairs Department, and respective consulate generals to strengthen the support for NCS students and their parents.
All relevant information, including, among others, arrangements for admission to Primary 1 and Secondary 1, and Household Application for Student Financial Assistance Schemes, published in Chinese and English with translation into languages of diverse races is provided to NCS students and their parents.
Dedicated briefing sessions with simultaneous interpretation services for parents of NCS students are organised to introduce the support measures, including the implementation of the Learning Framework, and arrangements for admission to Primary 1 and Secondary 1 of public sector schools. Contents of the briefing sessions have been uploaded to the EDB webpage.
Since the 2015/16 school year, the Committee on Home- School Co-operation (CHSC) has published the English printed version of the School Profiles for distribution to parents of NCS students studying at the K3 and Primary 6 levels via kindergartens and primary schools for their easy access to the information therein. Starting from the 2018/19 school year, a separate column on “Education Support for NCS Students” has been added to the School Profiles for schools to provide information on their support for NCS students. Public sector primary and secondary schools and DSS primary and secondary schools admitting NCS students and provided with the additional funding are required to specify the schools’ additional support measures for enhancing NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in the schools. The School Profiles are uploaded to the Chinese and English versions of the CHSC webpage. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, EDB has further enhanced the newly added column by requiring the schools concerned to provide more information on the relevant support measures.
Other Measures to Facilitate Communication
A dedicated webpage (https://www.edb.gov.hk/ncs) has been set up to facilitate the understanding of parents of NCS students about the relevant education services.
For daily enquiries, hotline service has been put in place and simultaneous interpretation services, by means of telephone conferencing among the enquirer, EDB and Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents, the Support Services Centre for NCS population funded by the Government, have been offered since July 2010.
Admission to Kindergartens
While student admission in kindergartens continues to be school-based, kindergartens have been reminded that the application forms and relevant information should be provided in both Chinese and English. In this regard, EDB has provided bilingual templates of relevant documents to kindergartens for reference.
EDB has issued circular memorandums to remind schools to create an icon or provide a simple message in English on the homepage of the school webpages prominently, to facilitate parents in obtaining the English version of the information instantly when browsing the homepage of the school webpages. Furthermore, we require kindergartens to provide on the school webpages the links to the English version of the EDB webpage on K1 Admission Arrangements in kindergartens and the webpage indicating the school information in the webpage of Profile of Kindergartens and Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres prominently to facilitate parents of NCS children in browsing the relevant information. Kindergartens are also reminded to state explicitly on the school webpages that during interviews with NCS children, interpretation or translation services can be arranged as necessary, or the parents and children can be accompanied by a Chinese- speaking relative or friend to facilitate communication.
Kindergartens should provide on the school webpages the information on the school’s support for NCS children, enquiry telephone number and email address for parents of NCS children.
The Profile of Kindergartens and Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres has been published in both Chinese and English annually to provide information on every kindergarten for parents’ reference when making school choices. Starting from 2018, a new column “Support to NCS Students” has been included for kindergartens to set out the support provided to their NCS students.
Starting from September 2018, EDB has set up a hotline (telephone number: 2892 6676) for parents of NCS children to facilitate their enquiries about admission to kindergartens.
A set of cue cards with audio files in languages of diverse races has been provided for kindergartens to express care and concern for parents of NCS children in their daily contact in order to create a more inclusive school environment.
Relevant publicity materials, such as leaflets, posters, application form and guidance notes on “Application for Registration Certificate for Kindergarten Admission”, as well as the subtitles of television announcements, have been translated into languages of diverse races for reference of
parents of NCS children.
Briefing session on admission to kindergartens was organised for non-governmental organisations serving the communities of diverse races, with a view to leveraging their networks to disseminate information to parents of NCS children. The Equal Opportunities Commission is invited to brief kindergartens on equal opportunities for student admission.
Should individual NCS children encounter difficulties in applying for admission, EDB will make referrals as appropriate to kindergartens joining the kindergarten education scheme (Scheme-KGs) which still have vacancies.
Templates of kindergartens’ commonly used circulars for parents have been translated into English and languages of diverse races and uploaded to the EDB webpage to support kindergartens in enhancing their communication with parents of NCS children.
Assessment of Future Work
EDB will continue optimising the dedicated webpage on education services for NCS students. Relevant information leaflets will also be updated as and when necessary. Besides, EDB encourages schools to continue enriching the contents of the Chinese and English versions of the School Profiles and their school webpages to provide more information on their school-based support measures for NCS students for reference of parents of NCS students.
Additional Measures Taken/To Be Taken
Strengthening Parent Education
In the 2020/21 school year, EDB commissioned a non- governmental organisation and a post-secondary institution to provide a series of parent education programmes for parents of NCS students, including parent education talks cum exhibitions and community activities, so as to help them support their children’s learning, encourage their children to master the Chinese language, and have a more comprehensive understanding of the multiple pathways available to their children.
Facilitate Communication
To assist Scheme-KGs in enhancing their school webpages and ensure both Chinese and English school information is provided for parents’ reference, EDB has provided a one-off website enhancement grant to all Scheme-KGs in the 2020/21 school year. All Scheme-KGs should provide basic school information in both Chinese and English, including an introduction to the school, information on admission arrangements, school fees, the school’s support for NCS children, etc. To support schools’ enhancement of their webpages, EDB has provided each school with a grant of $10,000. For schools that provide all information on their webpages in both Chinese and English, a grant of
$20,000 has been provided.
Enquiries
For enquiries concerning the existing and planned measures on the promotion of racial equality, please contact Assistant Education Officers (Education Commission) via the following channels -
Name: : Ms Candy LAI / Mr Kelvin CHEUNG
Post: : Assistant Education Officer (Education Commission)1 / Assistant Education Officer (Education Commission)2 Telephone no. : 3509 8569 / 3509 8572
Fax no. : 2537 4591
Email : [email protected] / [email protected] Postal Address : 7/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices,
2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong
Education Bureau June 2021
