South China Morning Post
7th September 2022
‘Forgotten kids in the city’: ethnic minority students with special education needs struggle in Hong Kong, study finds
Survey finds less well-off ethnic minority students with special education needs do not have access to the same education opportunities as their peers
Experts appeal to government for more assistance for students from ethnic minority groups to access
More help is needed for Hong Kong schoolchildren and students from ethnic minority groups with special education needs after a survey funded by the city’s equality watchdog showed that many faced language barriers, experts have said.
The team spoke to 15 families from South Asia with children aged from five to 21 who had special education needs, as well as seven professionals in the education field.
Kim Kwok, the principal investigator, explained most special educational training provided in public hospitals, subsidised schools and NGOs was carried out in Chinese, with few resources provided for English speakers.
“Less well-off ethnic minority students with special education needs could not enjoy the same education opportunities as other students and they became the ‘forgotten kids’ in the city,” Kwok said.
Kwok added that although English might not be the first language for some of the South Asian families interviewed, the parents had said English was easier to understand than Cantonese