Members of the Policy and Research Committee (PARC) of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) met with the Chief Executive-elect, Mr. LEUNG Chun-ying, today (5 June 2012) to reiterate the Commission’s deep concern on the issue of education for ethnic minority (EM) students and call upon the new government to provide these underprivileged students with fair education opportunities.

The meeting is the Commission’s effort to advocate for equal opportunities in education for EM students to the new government, following the formation of the Working Group on EM Education in July 2010 and the publication of the Working Group’s Report on this subject in July 2011. The Report, based on stakeholders’ views collected by the EOC, lists significant obstacles EM students face in learning and in accessing higher education, which stems primarily from the difficulties they encounter in learning Chinese.

The EOC’s recommendations include the strengthening of early language support from the pre-primary stage, the development of an alternative curriculum/assessment framework, and the creation of an improved data collection system for the purpose of formulating policy to accommodate and support EM students’ specific learning needs.

Since the release of the Working Group’s Report, the EOC has made repeated appeals to the Education Bureau to take concrete steps to tackle this issue. The Commission also presented its views at the invitation of the Legislative Council Panel on Education in December 2011. Subsequently, a motion was passed by Legislative Council Members on 8 February 2012 which called on the Government to review its education policy for EM students and follow up on the EOC’s recommendations in the Working Group’s Report.



“Despite the fact that the Government has put in resources to enhance support for EM students in recent years, the outcome has been disappointing,” said the Hon. FUNG Kin-Kee, Convenor of the PARC of the EOC. “The incoming Government has to recognize the real problems faced by the majority of EM students whom the education system has failed. The EOC strongly urges the Chief Executive-elect to follow through on his election pledge to correct the learning gap and devise appropriate and effective support measures for EM students,” added the Hon. FUNG.

During the meeting, PARC Members exchanged views with the Chief Executive-elect on ways to follow up with the issue and urged the incoming Government to promptly remove the barriers EM students face in the local education system. The EOC will continue to monitor the situation and looks forward to a closer cooperation with the new administration to ensure equal education opportunity for all.

Other PARC and EOC Members attending the meeting included Dr. Tse Wing-ling, John, M.H. (Deputy Convenor of PARC); Ms. CHAN Ka-mun, Carmen, J.P.; Dr. KOONG May-kay, Maggie; Mr. Amirali Bakirali NASIR, J.P.; Mr. Zaman Minhas QAMAR; Ms. WONG Ka-ling; Mr. YIP Siu-hong, Nelson, M.H.; Mr. Behzad MIRZAEI; Mr. LEE Luen-fai; Ms. NG Wing-mui, Winnie; Ms CHIU Lai-kuen, Susanna and Mr. LAM Woon-kwong.


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Equal Opportunities Commission
5 June 2012