背景: 教統局檢討中學教學語言政策,提出微調的方案。
目的: 本文主要是為回應中學教學語言微調政策而寫。
論點: 文中指出主要有經濟、政治和教育三個因素影響著中學使用何種教學語文,在正常情況下,經濟為主導因素,故1949年之前,學生多選讀中文中學,1950-97年間則選讀英文中學,惟政府在回歸時的強制性母語教學政策,將政治因素放在首位,引至近年中學教學語文的亂局。核心問題是:教育署(1989)將「中英混用方式來教學」和「校本分流教學語文調適」混淆,將「在雙語教學的世界中,課堂上的講解多是英語輔以粵語,書面語才是全英文」這種學習第二語時的必經過程,貿然定性為錯誤。
總結:要解救現今中學教學語文的困境,校本分流中學教學語言微調政策應是溫和的良方。
Background: The Education Bureau reviewed the on medium of instruction in secondary schools and proposed the fine-tuning of policy.
Aim: This article is in response to the fine-tuning policy of medium of instruction.
Exposition: The economic, political and educational factors were found to be the main ones influencing the choice of medium of instruction in secondary schools. In particular, the economic factor was found to be the dominant one under normal situations. Before 1949, students chose to study in Chinese middle schools. They switched to choose Anglo-Chinese secondary schools during 1950-97. The scene has been seriously distorted recently due to the Government's strong policy of imposing mother tongue education to a majority of secondary schools after 1997. Parents, students, and educators are unhappy about the Government's explicit intervention. Crucial issue: the Education Department (1989) mixed up the [mixed code teaching] and [school based mixed mode teaching according to subjects and levels]. They wrongly concluded the auxiliary use of Chinese in some English medium class were unacceptable which is against the general trend of linguistic development of students.
Conclusion: The fine-tuning policy of medium of instruction, particularly the school based mixed mode teaching according to subjects and levels, language streaming within school will be a moderate but good way to resolve the dilemma of medium of instruction in secondary schools.
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