The perceived role of religion in the educational attainment of Pakistani immigrant secondary students in Hong Kong

The perceived role of religion in the educational attainment of Pakistani immigrant secondary students in Hong Kong

• Chee, Wai Chi University of Hong Kong

Asian Anthropology, 14(1), 33-42, 2015

Routledge

2015

• N Students & Student Services
  • NO Minorities & Immigrant Students
• P Social Context of Education
  • PF Religion & Education; Philosophy & Education ; Educational Thought

Minorities Pakistanis Muslim Students Immigrants -- Education Hong Kong -- Social Conditions Education Ethnic Minorities Hong Kong Religion

• Hong Kong
• Pakistan

• 1997.7 onwards

• Secondary Education

The academic underachievement of ethnic minorities, especially Pakistanis, in Hong Kong is well-recognized. This is stereotypically attributed to Islamic practices that are perceived to impede education, yet the voices of Pakistani parents and children are seldom heard. This research seeks to illuminate how Pakistani Muslim immigrant students and their parents understand the role of religion in education. The key finding highlights how both parents and students rate religion and education as highly important, and maintain that the two complement—rather than contradict—each other. They reject the public perception that Islam discourages the education of females, asserting that Islam upholds equality, including gender equality. Nonetheless, and maybe paradoxically, females interviewed during this research do encounter greater challenges than males in pursuing an education. In the young women's understanding, this comes from gendered cultural practices that are not necessarily endorsed by Islam. In response, both parents and daughters fight against, or conform to, these practices.
[Copyright of Asian Anthropology is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1683478X.2015.1025592]

• English

Journal Articles

• 1683478X

• 10.1080/1683478X.2015.1025592

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/30023878

2015-10-16