18 November 2013 - Officials of the Philippine Consulate General and members of the Filipino community in Hong Kong met with Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) Chairman Dr. York Chow on November 13 at the EOC office in Tai Koo Shing to discuss the difficulties being faced by ethnic minority (EM) students in Hong Kong, including Filipinos.

Dr. Chow heard examples of Filipino children going through different approaches with how they went through their education in Hong Kong such as local Chinese schools, the English Schools Foundation model, designated schools, a bilingual English kindergarten, and a direct subsidy school. Parents and former students who were present acknowledged their difficulty in handling the Chinese language component in all the schools mentioned, which resulted in a lack of employment opportunities for EM students who failed to make the cut academically in their high school examinations because of their lack of Chinese language skills.
           

Recognizing that Chinese should be taught as a second language as well as the enthusiasm of EM students to learn Chinese if taught correctly, Dr. Chow expressed support for the plight of the Filipino community and promised that the EOC will push for the abolition of the designated school system. This system promotes de facto segregation among EM students, who are deprived of a chance to fairly compete academically with their Chinese counterparts by being handicapped with their Chinese language skills from an early age. In addition, the EOC will consider the possibility of Chinese textbooks being subtitled in English so that parents can also participate in their children’s academic lives.

Dr. Chow pledged to raise this issue to be included in the Chief Executive’s Policy Address in January 2014. END