The government will spend an additional HK$1.1 billion over six years to enhance English and Putonghua teaching in secondary schools, Secretary for Education and Manpower Arthur Li said yesterday.

The initiative was, however, opposed by some educators because most of the HK$900 million English fund will be allocated to secondary schools with Chinese as the medium of instruction (CMI) and HK$200 million for schools to teach Putonghua, leaving insufficient resources for the 114 secondary schools with English as the medium of instruction (EMI) to raise the standard of English.

The government think tank, Education Commission, released a report on the consultation of the instruction medium policy and secondary school places allocation.

The report specifies that at least 85 percent of EMI schools' secondary one (S1) students should be able to learn in English (which would account for the top 40 percent of S1 students), teachers would have to have a Grade C or above in English Language (Syllabus B) of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and an environment conducive to instruction in English be created.

The capability of schools to impart education in English will be reviewed in September 2010, and schools failing to meet the three requirements would be barred from teaching in English in the junior classes. They could change the medium of instruction in secondary four to seven, though.

Each CMI school can apply for the fund to implement measures over six years to raise the level of students' proficiency in English on a sustainable basis such as teachers' training and curriculum.

Li said: "We understand the public has a high expectation of students' English proficiency. It is hoped that the additional resources would be provided from the next school year for strengthening the students' bilingual skills and trilingualism."

The government assumes that each CMI school would need no more than HK$500,000 a year, and schools getting the grant won't be able to change their medium of instruction within six years.

They need to sign a performance contract with the government, specifying the targets they aim to achieve. A mid-term review will be conducted after three years to identify the shortcomings and to decide whether the school should continue to receive funds for the remaining period.

The assessment criteria include students' performance in public examinations and the creation of an English-rich environment such as the culture of using the language in day-to-day communication.

The commission's review working group Chairman Michael Tien said most CMI schools had agreed that an additional 10 percent students passing in English in HKCEE was an achievable target.

CMI schools that have already obtained a high passing rate in the exam, Tien said, could easily target to have 5 percent more students getting Grade C.

Tien said: "It's the taxpayer's money, and we have to ensure that schools can achieve results... We do not expect schools to merely hire additional teachers and implement small-class teaching. We expect them to have some new English teaching method after six years."

EMI schools could also apply for the fund, but they can get a maximum of HK$500,000 for six years.

Association of English Medium Secondary Schools External Secretary Rosalind Chan said the funding was not fair to EMI schools. "We also need resources to raise students' standard. (But) the government expects us to achieve good results without sufficient resources."

Li countered that the government was not being harsh towards EMI schools. "The standard of English among most students of CMI schools is not as good as those in EMI schools. So it's necessary to provide extra help to CMI schools."

Chinese Medium Secondary Schools Association Chairman Wong Mei-mei, however, welcomed the initiative, saying the association would discuss how schools could draft the application proposal.

Apart from English language lessons, CMI schools cannot allocate more than 15 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent of the total lesson time in S1, S2 and S3 classes, respectively, for extended learning activities in English. For example, a biology teacher cannot teach students English vocabulary related to the subject and add on extra modules to be taught in English.

The government would spend up to HK$15 million to commission a "CMI Support Centre" at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to launch a three-year study to explore how the extended learning activities could be best utilized.

Li hoped the support measures would help improve the standard of English among CMI school students. But he denied suggestions that these schools would apply to change to EMI after the improvement was made. Li said: "I think principals already understand that teaching in the mother-tongue is beneficial to students."

Tien said CMI schools are gaining popularity among parents. "Our records show that 30 percent parents choose CMI secondary schools for their children during the discretionary allocation stage when they can apply for EMI schools," he said.

(China Daily HK edition December 6, 2005)