Follow-up on Views Gathered at the Stakeholder Engagement Session on "Harmony and Cultural Inclusion"

• The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting the integration of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system and mastery of the Chinese language.
• The Education Bureau (EDB) has been providing NCS students with all-encompassing learning support from pre-primary to secondary levels through diverse strategies, including curriculum development, learning and teaching resources, teacher training, professional support, additional funding, multiple pathways, parent education and support for parents, etc., to help NCS students master the Chinese language and integrate into the community. These measures vastly benefit schools, teachers, NCS students and their parents.
• The government policy of encouraging and supporting the integration of NCS students into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system, is delivering results. With the implementation of a series of enhanced measures for supporting NCS students since the 2014/15 school year, the number of publicly-funded schools admitting NCS students has significantly increased.
• As set out in the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address, the Government will continue to strengthen support for NCS students to facilitate their mastery of the Chinese Language for integration into the community. These measures include designing diversified learning materials under the Online Chinese Language Self-learning Resources for NCS students to help them extend their learning and consolidate what they have learnt in class; offering after-school Chinese language courses for lower primary NCS students using adapted learning materials for the Youth Chinese Test; expanding the Summer Bridging Programme to include NCS students progressing to Primary 5 and Primary 6 starting from the 2023/24 school year to provide more comprehensive and continuous support for their Chinese learning; and increasing the number of schools that provide school-based life planning services for NCS students to help them set personal goals and plan for the future.
• For more details of education services for NCS students, please refer to the dedicated webpage of EDB at https://www.edb.gov.hk/ncs.