The Education Bureau considers future conditions to be feasible to promote complete universal education in Cai Ruolian: not Mandarin will suffer

Cai Ruolian, director of the Education Bureau, said in an exclusive interview with the Mainland's Global Times that if conditions are feasible in the future, the Education Bureau will consider promoting courses such as teaching Chinese language in Putonghua in schools. It is reasonable to go a step further on the experiment of teaching directly in Mandarin.

Cai Ruolian pointed out that young people in Hong Kong need to seize opportunities such as national development and the construction of the Greater Bay Area.

Cai Ruolin said in an exclusive interview with the Global Times that if conditions are feasible in the future, the Education Bureau will consider promoting the teaching of Chinese language and other courses in Putonghua in schools.

(File photo/Photo by Luo Junhao)

In response to the enquiry, the EDB spokesman pointed out that whether a school implements "Public Education" should be determined by the school according to its own circumstances, including the preparation level of teachers, the level of Putonghua of students, the context of the school, curriculum arrangement, learning and teaching support, etc., professionally make a decision to clarify that this policy has not changed.

Schools can implement general education at different levels (class-based, grade-based and school-based) if their own conditions permit.

The spokesman also pointed out that the Education Bureau has been encouraging schools to create a language environment for Putonghua, hold a variety of activities, and create more opportunities for students to use Putonghua inside and outside the classroom. "If conditions are feasible in the future, the Education Bureau will consider promoting courses such as teaching Chinese language entirely in Putonghua in Hong Kong schools."

The spokesman stressed that it would be inaccurate to interpret it as "considering the implementation of general education in all schools in Hong Kong" or "full implementation of general education".

EdUHK will increase inter-faculty compulsory subject students from next year to visit the Greater Bay Area and return to Hong Kong to make a group report on the promotion to high school