Hong Kong has returned to be a part of China for more than ten years. Still, the majority of people in Hong Kong cannot communicate fluently in Putonghua, the national language of China. In order to improve the situation, there is a suggestion of making Putonghua a compulsory subject in the HKDSE, which I think is a good proposal. Students in Hong Kong should receive standardized education in Putonghua, with examinations to test their abilities.
The subject of Putonghua should no longer be optional anymore. For the previous decade, most junior students in secondary schools have been taught Putonghua on an optional basis. Nevertheless, there is no significant improvement in the standard of Putonghua among Hong Kong people. The main reason is that, without making the subject compulsory, students and the schools are not treating Putonghua seriously enough. Students are not putting efforts into learning this language, as at the same time, improving the standard of Putonghua of students is not a major consideration of the schools. To turn the situation around, it is necessary to make Putonghua a compulsory subject. Only when there is a public examination would Hong Kong students make an effort.
Besides, taking Putonghua examinations in the HKDSE gives students a qualification. With the return of Hong Kong of our homeland, Hong Kong has a closer connection with the Mainland China than ever before. More companies now own businesses in the Mainland. Therefore, many employers want to recruit people who can speak Putonghua. By making Putonghua a compulsory subject in the HKDSE, our students are better equipped for their future careers as their language skills are trained and assessed in the public examination and thus recognized by our society.
However, some people oppose the proposal, suggesting that it is too harsh for students to learn three languages well. They argue that even after almost 20 years of learning English, the level of even many university graduates is still far from satisfactory. Actually, the unsatisfactory outcome of the English learning does not entirely relate to the ability of students. The lack of practice is the core of the problem. The case of Putonghua is not the same. Due to the close relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland, students will have lots of opportunities to practise Putonghua in their daily life. Moreover, Putonghua is not something completely new to them. Many of them have, more or less, learnt the language in primary schools or as an interest out of school. I trust that under the new proposal, the Putonghua lessons in schools and plenty of chances of real life practice will help the students reach a high standard of Putonghua.
To conclude, making Putonghua a compulsory subject in the HKDSE is beneficial to students. This can help them learn the language seriously, gain a recognition of their ability and in turn enhance their competitiveness in their future career. After all, which country does not require or expect their citizens to learn the national language?