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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hong Kong Schools To Keep English

Associated Press

The Hong Kong government has given 100 secondary schools permission to keep teaching in English while most others switch to Cantonese, unleashing a debate over whether it will foster elitism.

Most primary schools were required to switch to Cantonese in September - two months after Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule - and most secondary schools will make the change next year.

But many parents still favor education in English, believing it helps their children’s career prospects. So the announcement this week by the territory’s government that 100 secondary schools would be allowed to keep using English unleashed a heap of criticism.

A government education committee said permission was granted if at least 85 percent of the schools’ students were deemed able to learn effectively in English.

Newspapers published a barrage of opinion about the decision, with some educators arguing that 100 exemptions were too many and others taking the opposite stance.

“Parents will conclude that these schools have higher standards than the rest, whether that is fair or not,” the South China Morning Post, an English-language newspaper, said in an editorial.