The new courses tend to be shorter and place great emphasis on practical usage and digital communication, whereas the traditional programmes, which are not related to technology and are increasingly associated with the old economy, are losing their appeal among students.

Given this development, it may be crucial for academics in language education to undertake a comprehensive review of student expectations for both new and old English programmes in Hong Kong.

With the advent of new technologies and communication methods, a significant revamp of language courses whether at self-funded or government-funded tertiary institutions in Hong Kong might be necessary in meeting student expectations in the digital era.

Before reforming language education, however, it might be worthwhile for educators to investigate what would enhance student satisfaction with the English courses offered locally.

Understanding the views of other stakeholders, including teachers and employers, through focus group interviews, would also be helpful.

Alan Poon, council member, City University of Hong Kong

Why have a work meeting when we can WhatsApp?

Regardless of whether meetings are conducted face-to-face or online, they can be unproductive due to sabotage by a routine cast of personalities.

There’s the talker who meanders off topic, the dogged dissenter fixed in their view, and the chair-warmer whose stony silence epitomises the “see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing” ethos, thus remaining safe, secure and uncontroversial.

Meetings are the scourge of the workplace, yet not proven to measurably improve policy and procedure development, much less employee morale.

There is no guarantee that a costly round-table gathering is superior to an iterative online discussion (on WhatsApp, for instance) that takes place non-synchronously and thoughtfully over several days. The latter bears fruit by organically growing and refining an outline that eventually captures trackable consensus. And unlike a traditional meeting, there is no need to burden a delegate with taking the minutes.

In my experience, face-to-face meetings might divert hospital doctors from urgent patient care that cannot be delayed. Ten senior doctors slugging out it out at a talkfest while other colleagues are glued to their smartphone screen feeds could probably pay for an additional working day for a doctor to look after patients. Meanwhile, the stressed senior doctor who drew the short straw and is deputising for the colleagues stuck in the meeting has to tackle the long list of patients pretty much alone.

Meetings are costly, a waste of staff time, and could even be harmful if junior colleagues or time-critical issues are put on hold while meeting participants are not to be disturbed.

Joseph Ting, Brisbane, Australia

Maybe we’re just not that into English

Your correspondent is right in saying that the English paper of the Diploma of Secondary Education does not explicitly test a candidate’s knowledge of grammar, leading to a “de-emphasis on grammar instruction”. This, however, isn’t the only reason behind the decline in language competence among young locals.

Learning a language from scratch, which often involves learning grammar rules by rote, is too tedious for them. The grammar taught in school seems to sound the same at primary and secondary levels, even though it gets more difficult.

To students, life outside the classroom is more challenging and fun. Computer games, which are preferred by many, offer satisfaction that language learning cannot match.

Having said that, it seems a good foundation in language isn’t necessary these days. When students complete their assignments, they can use computer tools to automatically correct their writing. This naturally reduces their incentive to improve their language skills.

When society focuses on technology and commerce, so does the job market. So we may continue to hear of highly competent job applicants who can’t write a decent cover letter.

Jacqueline Kwan, Sai Ying Pun