Shatin Government Primary School in Hong Kong issued a notice to parents, approving the use of simplified Chinese characters in school assessments and examinations, sparking controversy. According to Hong Kong media reports, some parents launched a petition calling on the school to withdraw this decision, with over 320 parent signatures gathered.
According to Hong Kong media, the school announced on November 3 that students would be allowed to answer exam questions in simplified Chinese, aiming to provide “a more friendly assessment environment” for students from mainland China or those accustomed to using simplified characters.
A parent from the school said on a Commercial Radio Hong Kong program that, in previous assessments, over ten transfer students from the mainland had frequent character mistakes, speculating that the school’s new measure is meant for the “inclusion of mainland students,” but questioning whether this sacrifices the interests of students who write in traditional Chinese. The parent argued that this is unfair to students using traditional characters, as simplified Chinese has fewer strokes and thus gives them more time to answer, and also questioned whether the school had provided teachers training on marking simplified characters.
Some parents initiated a petition demanding the school revoke the new policy. As of the afternoon of the 7th, 320 parents had signed. After meeting with parent representatives, the school responded that it would need to discuss with Chinese language teachers and the Education Bureau before deciding on the next step.
Former Hong Kong Chief Executive and current Vice Chairman of the CPPCC, Leung Chun-ying, wrote on Facebook on the 6th, stating that while he understands that “students with mainland backgrounds or used to using simplified Chinese” may not yet be accustomed to traditional characters on first arriving in Hong Kong, the city is a special administrative region that uses traditional characters. He asked, “Why not strive to learn traditional Chinese? In the future, can you work in Hong Kong without using traditional Chinese?” He emphasized that government documents, foreign, mainland and Hong Kong-invested enterprises, newspapers, books, and even documents for mainland students coming to Hong Kong, all use traditional characters.
He said that students’ progress and performance in learning traditional Chinese is one thing, but it is another matter for schools to abandon standards or teaching responsibilities. He stressed that traditional Chinese, Cantonese, and a high level of English are distinctive features of Hong Kong and are worth preserving. “These were all deeply discussed before Hong Kong’s return.” He concluded with the saying, “If teaching is not strict, it is the teacher’s laziness,” to describe the incident.