Education Bureau six-month initiation programme?

[Margaret50]

Hello,

Has anyone here participated in this programme for newly-arrived, non-Chinese speaking children? If so, how was your experience? What did your children learn? Was it helpful in finding a successful school placement afterwards?

We are considering it for our (English-speaking) three children but I would like to talk with a "veteran" to understand it better.

Thank you!
Margaret

 

[Editor1]

A reply from Anne Murphy, ITS Education Consultant

Hello Margaret,
I only know of one mom who signed up for this programme. She did not find it very useful because she realized that after a few discussions and completion of their questionnaire that Direct Subsidy schools were not going to be the best choice for her children. Although, her children speak Cantonese it would never be to the level for them to cope in a Cantonese primary school and they only speak Cantonese to their grandparents who are currently in Australia. The home language is English and mom speaks very little Cantonese to the children. She felt that the immersion into a ‘traditional’ Cantonese/English environment would be too difficult for the entire family.