In Hong Kong’s battle over language, ethnic minority children should get to learn Chinese in Mandarin, rather than Cantonese

Gerard A. Postiglione and Chura Thapa say the city’s ethnic minority children would master Mandarin phonetics and simplified Chinese characters more quickly than Cantonese in traditional characters, giving them a shot at admission to prestigious mainland universities and greater job opportunities

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Generation after generation, Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities struggle with learning both Cantonese and Chinese characters. Illustration: Craig Stephens

Published: 12:00pm, 23 Feb 2018Updated: 7:21pm, 23 Feb 2018

I was not surprised when I met a fifth generation ethnic minority Hongkonger who delivers documents on his motorcycle. He was able to communicate well in Cantonese, as could his children. But this was not enough to gain equal access to occupations that are supposedly open to all. Ability to read and write traditional Chinese characters can spell the difference between full citizenship and life in a marginalised world.

Generation after generation, Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities struggle with learning both Cantonese and Chinese characters. Some make major progress on the first, few attain mastery of the second. Unless they are wealthy enough to study at international schools where they learn Mandarin and simplified Chinese characters, they study Cantonese at local schools. It is ironic that ethnic minority pupils in Hong Kong’s international schools have more opportunity to learn China’s national language. In this respect, local education limits the path to a brighter future.

The education authorities know that this language issue needs to be addressed. Band-Aid remedies have been tried – designated schools, easier Chinese-language examinations so that more ethnic minority pupils are able to earn a General Certificate of Secondary Education pass and an easier curriculum. Language is key to getting a good job and to social mobility in Hong Kong. It is no wonder that the access rate of ethnic minorities to university in Hong Kong is far below their proportion in the population.

The policy of bi-literacy and trilingualism has little meaning for ethnic minorities because few get beyond the second language or the first script. The inability to meet language requirements leaves them doubly disadvantaged. Governments in Asia are gearing up to provide their pupils with skills for greater global reach in an increasingly interconnected world. The youth in many parts of Asia are learning Mandarin.

As Hong Kong struggles to find its place as part of China, so too do its many ethnic minorities

Despite the controversy surrounding the Confucius Institutes in some countries, these institutes teach Mandarin in 146 countries and regions, including Nepal where China is the largest foreign investor. Mandarin is on the rise in schools there as well as in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. However, few Hongkongers of South Asian descent get to learn Mandarin at school.

If the government is serious about Hong Kong’s role in the Belt and Road Initiative, ethnic minorities are an untapped resource. Given the opportunity, Hong Kong’s Mandarin-speaking ethnic minorities could be a useful link to several belt and road countries.