Job Discussion Forums

[delboy1]

hi ... i'm a kiwi and my wife's chinese and i'm thinking of applying for the net scheme. does anyone know if foreign kids fluent in cantonese are eligible for the public school system in hong kong? or are the expensive international schools my only option?

any help much appreciated.

[dandan]

Sure, it's no problem. Your kids can be educated in the local system or at an international school, it's up to you.

[Tinseltown Rebellion]

Actually, I am not at all sure that it is that simple, and the former may not even be possible, at least not in most local schools. There has been (somewhat bizarre) talk in Legco and within EDB circles about 'opening' up the local school system to non-local students (as if any of them place their offspring in local schools), but outside of 'elite' DS schools such as La Salle and DBS very few schools are able or willing to do so.

First, there is pressure finding places for the local HK students (who obviously have priority), especially now with schools closing down due to the plummeting birth rate, and second not many schools are willing to take foreign students, especially if they are native speakers of English. Very few local teachers are fully (or even functionally) competent in English, as an article in the SCMP (27.05.09, p.A4) with the telling title of 'Less than half of teachers pass English writing proficiency test' points out (about half also failed the speaking segment of the test). Also, in HK, the public's mind at least, with very, very few exceptions, Cantonese medium of instructions schools are inferior to English-language schools (and this becomes self-fulfilling through student enrolment as only top-performing students can get into EMI schools). So the OP's child/children would most likely either have to suffer poor, non-native English 'tuition' or be stuck in a low-banding school with most if not all lessons conducted in Cantonese whilst surrounded by relatively weak students.

Also, I am not being funny, but who on Earth would want to send their kid(s) to a local school? I can only assume that the OP does not know all too much about the education system in HK. To my mind at least, sending a (Western-raised and educated) kid to a local school is tantamount to child abuse. Everything is drilled and 'learned' by rote, and the whole system is exam-focused. Most schools have a borstal element, with kids being made to line up, stand to attention, and questions and free thinking are not exactly encouraged. Students have to clean their own classrooms. Apart from the odd Filipino, Thai, and Nepali student, I have never even so much as heard of a foreign kid in the local school system, and certainly never a Western child.

As for the expensive international school option, that may also not be all that simple. I do not know about every single such institution, but the vast majority of international and ESF schools that I do know of have quite a long waiting list, sometimes in excess of two years, and many now have a debenture system and holders are given priority. Such debentures are not chicken feed � some are in excess of a cool HK$1,000,000 per child, and the cheapest is around HK$100,000.

The lack of school places in HK has been a cause of concern to the business community for quite some time. A very interesting report on this point was produced by the American Chamber of Commerce:

http://www.amcham.org.hk/pr/International%20Schools%20Study.pdf

[m'goi]

I agree with Tinseltown Rebellion that the majority of local schools are not suitable for Western students, but my daughter goes to St Margaret�s Co-ed Eng Secondary + Primary School and loves it. It is a direct subsidy school so of course the majority of students are Chinese, but there are also foreigners in many of the classes. The school has a strong focus on languages and I believe it incorporates more of a Western approach to education than many of the DSS schools.
You can check out their website at www.smcesps.edu.hk - I think you'll find all the info you need there, but you can PM me if you have any other questions

[antoniahk]

And what is wrong with asking children to clean their own classroom? HK kids grow up with helpers and rarely lift a finger to help at home. Someone has to equip them with some life skills. I am a teacher, I ask my students to clean the classroom, and so? And to say that sending a child, with whatever background, to a local school is like child abuse is a particulary stupid comment. Plenty of local schools are excellent schools, regardless of their popularity ('banding'). My own children will attend a local school, as I did in the UK. Private schools are not financially accessible to the majority of people, and also not morally acceptable to others. I find it amazing that people can be so disparaging about local schools and yet cheerfully accept the salary and benefits that go with working in one.

[RiverMystic]

Dear Antonia,

If you relax for a moment, I think you will see that TR is simply giving an opinion that is not uncommon amongst foreigners in HK. It's not necessarily disparaging. I would not want my kids to go through this system. In my opinion it robs children of their childhood, and their spirit. There are masses of useless activities which serve little function but to keep people busy and provide fillers for the upcoming exams. This is a generalisation based on working in 3 different schools in the public education system here, and listening to what others have to say. Listening to some other posters here, there are obviously some schools which are more suitable. But I'd say most would be an unpleasant, if not a hellish experience for a western kid. I wouldn't put a kid in a public school here unless I had a recommendation from another foreigner there.

And there is no contradiction in working in the system as a teacher, doing your best to make a difference, and not wanting your kid to go through it as a student. Two very different kettle of fish.

I went to a public school, and Daddy was a baker, BTW - just as irrelevant as your mentioning your public school background.

[oxi]

[Tinseltown Rebellion]

[delboy1]

lol! i somehow knew i wouldn't get a black or white answer here. ummmm ... so, if some teachers do have their kids in direct subsidy schools i'm thinking that it must be fine for my kids to go to at least some of the schools in hong kong without me having to fork out the massive amounts required for international schools.

is it just a matter of finding a school that'll accept my kids? i'm gathering from what i've read so far that schools may have a veto ... they can say "yes", they can say "no". is this right? anyone have any idea just how difficult it would be to find a willing school?

as for the quality of education? ... my two kids are young (four and six). the only experience i've had with the asian public school system was in korea. yes, classroom and school cleaning was the norm. yes, the discipline could be tough some times (from certain teachers) ... but that aside, the primary schools were fun places that churned out super smart kids (or maybe that was something to do with all the after school classes!).

i'm not sure i'm ready to commit myself for a decade or so in hong kong. so high schools aren't an issue at the mo' ... i'll cross that bridge if and when i come to it.

thanks for all the input so far ... but i want you to focus on my questions please ... it's all about me!

cheers

[oxi]

delboy said:-

[Tinseltown Rebellion]

[Tinseltown Rebellion]

[oxi]

[Marcoregano]

Staying with the OP, I know of a few expat parents who have kids in 'local' schools - but they are very picky about which schools they're prepared to let them go to. These schools tend to be Band 1 (ie. the top rank) and in parts of HK where there's a sizeable expat population, which presumably by extension also boosts the number of expat kids at these schools, though they will still be in a minority. These schools are closer in terms of teaching style and staff to the international schools, though still within the local curriculum. However, entry to these schools is selective and far from automatic.

[antoniahk]