Social reactions towards education proposals: Opting against the mother tongue as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong

1993 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. O. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Social Reactions

Language policies for Hong Kong schools since 1997

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Kan ◽  
Bob Adamson
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
International Communication ◽  
National Language ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
Mother Tongue Education ◽  
Important Means

Francis of Education (print)/1474-8479 (online) Article 2010 Language in education debates in Hong Kong focus on the role and status of English (as the former colonial language and an important means for international communication); Cantonese, the mother tongue of the majority of the population; and Putonghua, the national language of China. This paper examines the language policy formulated in 1997–1998, and finds that it radically departed from previous policies by mandating the use of Cantonese as the medium of instruction in secondary schools. The paper then analyses two subsequent policy revisions and concludes that, while the tonal emphasis on mother-tongue education has remained, the policy revisions have reversed the language policy to previous practices that emphasised the importance of English.

Medium of Instruction Policy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Tollefson ◽  
Amy B.M. Tsui
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Education For All ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Language Rights ◽  
Fourth Section ◽  
The Third ◽  
Postcolonial Education ◽  
European Higher Education

This chapter traces the main pedagogical and political agendas that are implicit in medium of instruction (MOI) policies. It begins with an important worldwide effort to promote mother-tongue MOI: the Education for All initiative. Although this initiative has gained wide support among education scholars, MOI policies that privilege former colonial languages remain dominant in many contexts. The second section focuses on colonial and postcolonial contexts. In recent years debates about MOI in postcolonial education have focused on the spread of English MOI under globalization. The third section examines globalization, specifically with the examples of Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, and European higher education. The fourth section examines a major counterforce to English MOI: the language rights movement. Finally, the chapter ends with a discussion of explicit efforts to use MOI to reduce inequality.

Linguistic capital

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-167
Author(s):  
Chris Harwood ◽  
Conttia Lai
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Financial Capital ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Linguistic Capital ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Hong Kong Students ◽  
Cantonese Medium Of Instruction

Abstract This article discusses the effects of Hong Kong’s language policy changes in education since China reclaimed the territory in 1997. It describes Hong Kongers’ perceptions of English and their mother tongue Cantonese, and considers the effects of the Cantonese medium of instruction (CMI) policy, which was introduced to promote biliteracy and trilingualism1 among Hong Kongers. The analysis shows that even though CMI results in deeper learning in Hong Kong students, the strength and status of English as the lingua franca in the territory remains strong, and access to the linguistic capital English brings remains restricted to those with financial capital to afford it.

The Long March to Biliteracy and Trilingualism: Language Policy in Hong Kong Education Since the Handover

2013 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 302-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Evans
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Junior Secondary ◽  
Daunting Task ◽  
Chinese And English ◽  
Chinese Subjects ◽  
Hong Kong Education

Since the handover, policymakers in Hong Kong have faced the daunting task of determining the educational roles of two major international languages (Putonghuaand English), as well as a vibrant local language (Cantonese), which is the mother tongue of around 90% of the city's predominantly Chinese population. Their response to this unprecedented challenge has been to set the ambitious goal of developing students’ ability to read and write Chinese and English and to speak Cantonese,Putonghua, and English. At the same time, however, they are pursuing policies that in some respects run counter to this commendable if ill-defined aim. This article examines the background to and rationale for the promotion of biliteracy and trilingualism and reviews recent research into the government's major language-in-education initiatives since 1997, namely, the adoption of a compulsory mother-tongue policy at junior secondary level, the recent fine-tuning of this controversial policy, and the use ofPutonghuaas the medium of instruction in Chinese subjects at primary and secondary levels.

scholarly journals Teachers’ Perception about English as a Medium of Instructions: Evidence from the Government Higher Secondary Schools of Sindh, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-371
Author(s):  
Abul Ala Mukhtar ◽  
Zafarullah Sahito ◽  
Abida Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
English Language ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Common People ◽  
British Rule ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up

This case study inquires the perceptions and experiences of teachers about the English as a medium of instructions at government higher secondary schools of Warah city of Sindh, Pakistan. It witnesses that a large chunk of the population is diversified to use their provincial or regional languages as destined by socio-political heritage. Because English was remained a paramount part of educational context in Pakistan during British rule. In Sindh, students learn English from their teachers at their schools, who by no means really acquire the required proficiency in the English language. The research design undertaken was qualitative in nature and revolved around the semi structured interviews. English as a medium of instruction has a daunting and remarkable role to set to be set up across the globe. The mother tongue has the supreme role to play in the organized system of social institutions, which has massive resources of linguistics pouring down to the common people in the forms of superb streams of dialects with definite code of syntax, semantics and pragmatism. The extra reading materials with the support of technology, the English lessons can play a pivotal role to give internalization and adaptation of English language as a medium of instruction.

scholarly journals Instructional language dilemma and challenges in Ghana's education system: any prospects?

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 153-172
Author(s):  
Y.A. Ankomah
Keyword(s):  
Mother Tongue ◽  
First Language ◽  
College Of Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Language Usage ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
English Usage ◽  
Main Medium

language plays a pivotal role in educational provision and its quality as it is the main medium that facilitates communication between the learner and the teacher. Since the introduction of the first official school language policy in 1925, there has been the dilemma of what nature the policy is to take, spanning from first language as medium of instruction for the first three years of primary school, through first language usage for the first year only to an all-English usage for the first year only to an all –English usage throughout school. The study was a baseline cross-sectional survey on the perceptions of stakeholders on the language of instructions in Ghanaian basic schools. Eighty seven respondents comprising 36 pupils, 36 parents, nine teachers and three heads from three basic schools and six tutors from a college of education were interviewed on their views and perception on the used of the local language as medium of instruction in basic schools. The literature and the present study reveal that currently stakeholders will not support one exclusive language, English or Ghanaian first language, as medium of instruction at the early stages of school due to entrenched perceptions, not withstanding whatever possible advantages there may be. The obvious choice is a mother tongue-based bilingual arrangement that effectively combines the advantages of Ghanaian first language and English. But its success calls for commitment by policymakers and other stakeholders.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF THE «MIZRACHI» POLITICAL PARTY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF JEWISH PRIVATE SCHOOLING IN INTERWAR POLAND

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 69-80
Author(s):  
Oksana RUDA
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Jewish History ◽  
Mother Tongue ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Medium Of Instruction ◽  
Jewish State ◽  
Interwar Poland ◽  
Jewish Students ◽  
The Government

The activity of the Jewish party «Mizrachi» in the 20s and the 30s of the 20th century, aimed at developing private Jewish schooling with Hebrew as the medium of instruction, is analyzed. In interwar Poland, Jewish students were deprived of the opportunity to receive primary education in public schools in the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, as government officials only partially implemented the Little Treaty of Versailles of 1919. The development of Jewish schooling was also complicated by the Polonization policy, the cultural and linguistic heterogeneity of Poland's Jews. Polish-speaking «szabasówka», who implemented a nationwide program of educating Jewish students in the spirit of loyalty to the government, facilitated their assimilation. That part of the Jewish community, which perceived these schools as an assimilation factor, actively participated in expanding the network of private Jewish schools with Yiddish or Hebrew mediums of instruction. An important part in the development of such religious and national educational institutions took the Mizrachi party, whose program principles combined the Jewish religious tradition with activities aimed at forming a Jewish state in Palestine. The author examines the activities of the Jewish cultural and educational societies «Jabne» and «Micyjon tejce Tora», which were cared for by «Mizrachi». The societies took part in establishing preschools, primary and secondary schools, teachers' seminaries, evening courses, public universities, reading clubs, libraries, and more. Both Judaic and secular subjects were taught in these educational institutions. Paying due attention to the teaching of Hebrew, Jewish literature, and Jewish history in schools helped preserve Jewish students' national identity. Keywords «Mizrachi» political party, Poland, cultural and educational societies, religious and national schools, Hebrew, Yiddish.

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