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Letters

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification
As a linguist and past beneficiary of the Native-speaking English Teacher (NET) Scheme, I would like to underscore the irreplaceable role of NETs.
Numerous language acquisition theories indicate that students obtain the target language most efficaciously through implicit, or unintentional, learning.
This manner of teaching and learning, which NETs are competent at, reinforces long-term memory and contributes significantly to proficiency.
This method supplements the explicit instruction delivered by local English teachers who intentionally draw students’ attention to particular linguistic features.
While temporary retention could be achieved by explicit teaching, conversion into long-term memory requires consistent input and output, in other words, a lot more effort and time.
However, the role of local instructors should also be recognised. Because of their shared mother tongue with students, local teachers can offer culture-specific corrective feedback.
Nevertheless, such effective instruction could best be maximised by a teacher who speaks English as a first language.
I remember my secondary school allocated extra resources (parents’ donations) for employing two, rather than one, NETs. While one NET organised whole-school English learning activities, the other taught English to elite classes. I was lucky to be in one of those classes.
My horizons were broadened when I could interact with a native English speaker from the United Kingdom for hours, rather than minutes, per week.
To my teen self, it was like having James Bond step off the screen. I paid attention during English lessons which had once been a nightmare to me.
Although some peers made a fuss about the NET calling us “darling”, which was a more intimate term of address than we were used to, this culture shock was extremely valuable as a language learning experience. One needs to know the culture to know the language.
This is what NETs can provide students with – examples of how English is actually used and more importantly, an understanding that learning English is about interacting with people who have come from afar, not just passing exams.
Alison Ng, assistant lecturer, Centre for Applied English Studies, University of Hong Kong
Clearing up how local and native English teachers work together
I refer to the letters, “Why it’s time to let native English teachers go” (January 13) and “Native English teachers haven’t quite helped my English” (January 21).
While I appreciate the concerns raised about the NET Scheme, I would like to clarify some misconceptions regarding the role and effectiveness of NETs in our schools.
The responsibility for English learning and teaching does not rest solely on NETs; it is a collaborative effort involving both local English teachers (LETs) and NETs. They work closely to adapt the curriculum to meet the diverse needs of our students through regular co-planning meetings. Regarding the assertion that NETs are ineffective with second-language learners, our collaborative culture is specifically designed to address this. LETs and the English panel head support newly appointed NETs by informing them about student standards and the cultural context of classrooms. This partnership ensures a smoother transition for NETs and maximises the benefit of their contribution as native speakers. In fact, nowadays most NETs come into the role with local experience.
Continuous professional development opportunities are available for NETs and LETs, including an induction programme organised by the Education Bureau to equip new NETs with an understanding of the local educational system and unique language learning challenges.
Describing the NET Scheme as “meretricious” undermines the dedication of all the committed teachers involved in English language education. It is important to recognise that the Hong Kong government has invested significantly in various projects, including the NET Scheme, to foster closer ties with the global community.
L. Horn, Sai Kung
Robinson Crusoe didn’t lie flat
I refer to your report, “Nearly half of Hong Kong secondary students ‘lying flat’ or planning to: survey” (January 19).
On the one hand, as an old Russian who learned English by reading books in the language and looking up new words in an Oxford dictionary, I can’t approve of young people writing “TL;DR” (“too long; didn’t read”). On the other hand, when I meet workaholics, I remember two proverbs in English – “only fools and horses work” and “you only go around once” – and I pity them.
Perhaps Hong Kong students don’t want to end up like Japanese executives who work abroad, but whose children as a result don’t speak their mother tongue properly. Once I travelled on business between Moscow, Prague and Berlin, and suffered greatly from jet lag, windy stations and unfamiliar food. Fortunately, that didn’t last long.
Of course, none of us know whether anything is worth the effort, but we all should bear in mind Robinson Crusoe’s sad words on discovering he couldn’t move a canoe he had made to the sea: “never being able to bring it into the water, or bring the water to it, I was obliged to let it lie where it was as a memorandum to teach me to be wiser the next time”.
Mergen Mongush, Moscow


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Education in Hong Kong

2 reasons why Native English teachers are irreplaceable

Students sit the Diploma of Secondary Education English exam at a school in North Point in 2023. Photo: Dickson Lee

Why so many Hongkongers have a phobia of speaking English

Students revise for the DSE English exam at a school in North Point in 2023. The speaking component makes up just 10 per cent of the assessment. Who in this pragmatic, results-oriented city would devote much time to English fluency for a measly 10 per cent? Photo: Dickson Lee 

Why physical education is taking off in Hong Kong schools, from ‘Linsanity’ to the Paris Olympics

Physical education is now getting the attention it deserves in Hong Kong’s schools. Photo: CDNIS

Swimming lessons at Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Physical education classes at CDNIS. Photo: Handout

Iain Shortt, health and physical education teacher and head of department at CDNIS. Photo: Handout

Sports day at Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

We’ve built Kai Tak Sports Park. Now, to keep crowds coming

A view of Kai Tak Sports Park on January 15. Photo: Eugene Lee 

Opinion

Readers discuss what exactly native speakers provide students with, collaboration between local and foreign English teachers, and how Robinson Crusoe didn’t lie flat


Readers discuss what exactly native speakers provide students with, collaboration between local and foreign English teachers, and how Robinson Crusoe didn’t lie flat.


Hong Kong society

Letters | 2 reasons why Native English teachers are irreplaceable

Readers discuss what exactly native speakers provide students with, collaboration between local and foreign English teachers, and how Robinson Crusoe didn’t lie flat