Trilingual and biliterate language education policy in Hong Kong: past, present and future

Abstract Hong Kong’s ‘trilingual and biliterate’ language policy (TaB, 三語兩文 ) is almost as old the special administrative region (SAR) itself. Through free education support measures in school, students are expected to be conversant English Putonghua addition Cantonese, able read understand written Chinese English. After being implemented for over two decades, however, there signs that most students’ standards fall short of TaB target, measured by public examination results successive generations secondary school leavers. Designed with essentially Cantonese-dominant Hongkongers mind, consists many measures, ‘medium instruction streaming policy’ introduced since September 1998 controversial. Driven twin principles monolingual English-medium (EMI) ‘no mixing allowed’, schools divided into streams. Stringent requirements must met before a could claim an EMI school. According this ‘late immersion’ model aged 11–12 at level, every year about 30 percent primary leavers allocated Following Li ( Multilingual Kong: languages, literacies identities . Springer, Cham, 2017), paper will first discuss why target such tall order reviewing relevant literature along five inter-related dimensions: contrastive linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, cognitive neuroscience, instructional strategies bilingual pedagogies. I then examine SAR government’s assess their effectiveness explore possible alternatives. The end number recommendations, which together constitute LPP (language planning) roadmap improving chance likely produce more positive outcomes. (i) To re-prioritize investment extent strengthening quality input key stages learning from age 3–9, curriculum terms correspond K1–P3; (ii) use Cantonese medium teaching all subjects except separate preschool (K1–K3, 3–6); (iii) possibility implementing total immersion three years lower level (P1–P3, 6–9); (iv) abandon ‘maximum exposure, no mixing’ dogma encourage basic action research pedagogies informed Content-and-language integrated (CLIL); (v) attract academically bright linguistically gifted receive professional training prepared committed career teaching; (vi) civil servants various government offices, schoolteachers, university staff initiate ‘speak English/Putonghua where we can’ campaign. For these successfully bear fruit, apart careful planning, ought strong leadership within sector, plus mechanisms coordinating concerted actions on part groups stakeholders, notably teachers, principals, educationalists, experts academia.