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

Abstract

Since the handover, policymakers in Hong Kong have faced the daunting task of determining the educational roles of two major international languages (Putonghua and 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 of Putonghua as the medium of instruction in Chinese subjects at primary and secondary levels.

Multilingualism in Hong Kong’s Formal and Informal Settings: A Brief Historical Review of The Development from The Early 1900s To the Late 2010s

“…One of them was the Individual Visit Scheme, which aimed at stimulating inbound tourism by motivating mainlanders to travel to Hong Kong (Chiang 2016). In consequence, Putonghua was considered yielding immediate, maximal economic benefits , and therefore worth learning (Evans 2013…”

Keeping the Policy Window Closed: Framing Putonghua as a Medium of Instruction in Hong Kong

“…Medium of instruction (MOI) has been a sensitive and heatedly debated topic in Hong Kong for a long time. In the last few decades, the city has witnessed multiple rounds of MOI switchover and fine-tuning (Evans 2013). Residents in Hong Kong understand that apart from the apparent pedagogical justifications, MOI policies are highly political (Tollefson & Tusi 2004).…”

Language Policy and Education in Greater China

“…In these schools students' attitudes toward Putonghua have significantly improved by the end of the first decade of this century (Lai 2013). There were optimism and concerns about the momentum (see Bray and Koo 2005;Evans 2011). However, neither optimism nor concern is fully warranted if recent student protests are considered.…”