With the introduction of the HKDSE, Hong Kong is embracing an education system that is closer to the one in the mainland. Some people suggest making Putonghua a compulsory subject in the HKDSE. Indeed, with the rapid economic growth in China, Putonghua is becoming more and more important with each passing day. As many jobs in various disciplines both in Hong Kong and the mainland now require a qualification in Putonghua, it is obvious that Putonghua is an essential skill for the new generation of Hong Kong students.
First and foremost, the HKDSE results can act as a qualification for Putonghua if it is made a compulsory subject. In the old syllabus, Chinese and English are compulsory subjects, and employers can evaluate job applicants’ abilities in these languages by their public exam results. However, graduates usually have to take additional lessons and exams to prove that their Putonghua levels are up to standard. If Putonghua is made a compulsory subject in the HKDSE, students are spared the trouble of taking further exams to obtain qualifications. The Examinations Authority should work with the educators abroad to ensure that the Putonghua exams get international recognition like other subjects and that a pass in Putonghua in the HKDSE is suitable qualification of an adequate command of the language.
Moreover, making Putonghua a compulsory subject that students must take in the public exam, is an extremely effective motivator. Putonghua is the most widely used language, with billions of speakers in China and all over the world, surpassing even English. Having a good command of the language can definitely help students in job hunting in future. Compared to those in Malaysia or the US, we Hong Kongers have a huge advantage of being literate in modern Chinese, which is basically the written form of Putonghua. We already know the words and grammar rules, and all we need to work on is the pronunciation. It is a pity that most Hong Kong students can barely speak Putonghua. Presently, since Putonghua is not a compulsory subject, most students neglect it and some even treat the lessons as ‘sleeping lessons’. Schools also put little resource into the subject, allocating only one lesson per week. Making Putonghua a compulsory subject in the HKDSE is definitely a great incentive to make students learn and practise actively and thus benefit them in the future.
Some, however, may say that Hong Kong students are already too busy without the burden of an extra subject, or that Hong Kong does not have enough qualified Putonghua teachers.
In fact, learning Putonghua could be incorporated into the present Chinese lessons. Putonghua could be made the medium of instruction in Chinese lessons or at least as complimentary language in the beginning. The two can even complement each other.
Another problem is that there may be a shortage of qualified Putonghua teachers. To solve the problem, teachers could be hired from the mainland, or overseas like Singapore. There could also be two teachers in Chinese-Putonghua lessons, with the main one teaching Chinese and the teacher assistant specializing in Putonghua. There are always good methods to achieve our goal once we have got the right move.
Undoubtedly, making Putonghua a compulsory subject boosts students’ competitiveness and enables them to gain a better future and a fuller life. It is high time the government put the proposal into practice.