Local or international? Hurry!

Hi, I have a 3 year old at home. DH is a local Hongkonger and I speak English.


Our 3.5 year old is in the local stream. She has been at a local kindie since she was 2 and her Cantonese is sooo good now. In fact, she prefers it to English.


The problem is, I am unable to help her with her homework in the local stream. DH is never home - well, he is only home 1 day a week and as a result, she's been going to school with her homework not done. We haven't done her holiday homework or class projects simply because I cannot read Chinese. I can remind her teachers about my predicament but sometimes I feel discouraged because I cannot participate in my daughter's education.


We cannot afford international, so esf is our only choice if we go all English. Shatin Junior is the closest to us and I've heard it is VERY hard to get into. Our friends, who are doctors have had their children rejected by esf. ESF is easy to get into if you can prove that you don't speak Canto. My daughter speaks it so I think she'll be waitlisted. Plus since going to a local kindie, I think her English is suffering - I don't even know if it's up to the standard required for entry.


Another alternative which is sort of like in the middle between the two extremes (I've heard) is the local English medium schools. Fees are around 2k+ which is more affordable to us. However, again, I've heard it is very competitive and the nearest is quite far from us.


So what do we do?

a) we cannot afford international and esf seems quite dificult to get into. What if I put her in the international stream now and find that she cannot get into esf or the private english medium schools? She'll have to go local without any Canto background.

b) if she continues going to a local school, there is no way I can help her with her homework and her grades may suffer.

However, that eliminates my worry about her not getting into esf/private schols, because she'll be equipped with enough chinese to get into any local schools.


I find this quite stressful. Any words of advice for a stressed out mother? I have to decide before September whether to switch her to the international stream at her school or leave her in local.

friends kids - two girls, one is Filipino family and one is Malaysian. One speaks 'tagalish' english and one speaks good mandarin and english is just so so.... both got in to the one in Nam Cheong Station, believe is named St Margaret Secondary and Primary School - English medium school. Fee is 2K plus. Try that may help. It sounded very competative but most of the kids i know got in to that school.

This school - St Margaret's... do you know if they emphasise on Chinese or English? I'm still trying to decide whether to keep her in the local stream or the international stream at her school.


Thanks.

checked with friend - St. Margaret emphesise on English and second language is Mandarin (for all my friends' kids that I know). The disallowed kids to speak any other language except English in school. Yes, they do come home with home work, that can't be avoided if put them in any local school, let it be english or cantonese medium of instruction.

i was also wondering about that homework. My 2 year old who goes to a nursery school for 2 hours everyday, no homework......and I am considering to let him go into a local kindergarten...now I am having second thoughts, since no one speaks and read cantonese at home, we will have same problem as yours. But I remember, my friends before who have a 3 year old daughter, they let her go to a local kindergarten, but I never heard of a problem like that (they are a french family-can't read and speak cantonese as well), all I heard from them, they are happy that they had the chance to let their daughter learn the cantonese language. And after that they were able to let her go into the French International for Primary 1.

I think you are right to worry about school work. It is mostly the job of the mother to help with school work ( not that I think it should be this way but it is the reality). There are a lot of school work in local school. The thing to do might be to brush up the English standard of your kid. There is summer school in available, Please check the following link:


www.letter-land.com

Cara wrote: "sorry, but your 3 year old is coming home with homework????? seriously???"


I'm afraid so. She had homework over Christmas and the Chinese New Year holiday. I didn't do her Christmas homework. In fact, I only just found her Christmas holiday book at home yesterday. We're skipping that and only focussing on her Chinese New Year homework at th moment. There were 20 pages. I took one look and panicked. My DH came home and did the whole book with her in just under 20 minutes! Maybe the workload isn't as bad as I thought... but I still can't help feeling inadequate, especially when other students are able to produce work that both my daughter and I are struggling with.


I had a loong chat with DH and he said that if I want our daughter to be bilingual, she has to be in the local stream. International teaches English and Mandarin... because neither of us speak Mandarin at home, she may find chinese difficult and may not like it or learn as much. By putting her in the local stream, it is almost a guarantee that she will learn enough of Chinese for her to be able to appreciate chinese literature, which is part of her culture. He says that I can teach her English at home, whereas with Chinese, I have no control over it. Plus it is cheaper for me to hire a local chinese tutor rather than an English tutor (if we ever need it).


.... which leaves me as confused as ever now.


abby78, I think that as long as both parents are non-chinese speaking and are french citizens, they should have first priority in entering the French International Schools. We have a problem in that my husband's a local Hongkonger and my daughter is surrounded by family members who speak to her in Chinese. I know that this means we'll be waitlisted for esf. I'm proud that she knows Chinese better than I do, don't get me wrong... but I have to say schooling here is quite stressful.

Or maybe it's because we're lucky enough to have more choices here.

If you speak English, why not do a trade with a Cantonese speaking friend - you will help their child with English and they will help yours with Chinese? That way it costs nothing, and both kiddies get help. At the age of three they don't need a lot of help, just a bit. My son is at local KG and gets homework, but short tasks which he loves to do. The teachers translate all the instructions into English (sort of) for us, and it works out well enough.

I'm an English speaker, Dad speaks Mandarin and our two kids are in local primary and kindergarten because we cannot afford ESF or international.


The positive side of local schools is that the kids learn to speak Cantonese and easily converse with neighbourhood children to make friends. However, given a choice, I would NEVER put my children into a local HK primary or secondary school.


Kindergarten homework is tolerable: usually worksheets with single characters on them to be traced, copied or coloured. Some worksheets may require the ability to read Chinese instructions.


The amount of homework in primary school is unbelievable. My husband comes home late each day, so my older child goes to "Homework Club" each evening for help. I do English homework with him, which often takes another 30 minutes to one hour after he has done the Chinese, Math, Civic Education, etc etc etc homework. There is no coordination between teachers about homework allocation, so some nights he has mountains and other nights almost nothing.


Unlike our home country where teachers have university training and specialize in primary or secondary teaching, most local teachers do not have any teacher training, just a three-year degree specializing in a particular subject eg math or translation. Then they attend part-time university courses while teaching. They have no other model for teaching except through lots and lots of paperwork. Some local parents chastise teachers for not giving enough homework.



There are notices most evenings about events at school, extra-curricular activities, etc. Plus info about school lunches and the school bus. With your husband away, you'll need someone to read them to you.


All school meetings are conducted in Cantonese. I recently attended a parent-teacher interview about the mid-year exam report. A total waste of my time as the teacher made no effort to communicate with me.


It is a humbling and frustrating experience to have a child studying in a language you cannot understand.



Kindergarten can be managed, but the only way I think a local primary school could really work for you is if a relative moves in with you to help with homework and school-related activities.

Hi all,


It is very interesting reading comments on local versus international schooling. I think there are pros and cons of each education system. There are also financial situation, language of the parents, cultural differences and your child's character to consider. But at the end of the day, I think it is the expectation of the parents that dictates the education of the child.


If you expect your child to be truely native in Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin) and English, hard-working and discipline, then the local system works fine. If English is your main concern, creative and free to express then go for the international schools.


Yes, going into the local stream can be tough on the child with the amount of homework, dictations, tests and exams. It's even more frustrating when the parents are not Chinese speaking. However, there are many Direct Subsidized Schools (DSS) coming onto the market which is more "in between" the strict local stream and the international stream.


As more and more international schools are running the IB program - a much more intensive and demanding course, I have noticed more and more children from the international schools are requiring private tutition. Hence, I have noticed more and more Chinese parents are dissatisfied with international schools.


I put my child into the local stream because I expect her to be native in Chinese. I anticipate her to work in the Asian market where Chinese language is very important with Mainland China becoming a major world market. Believe me, you are "disadvantage" if you can not communicate fluently in Chinese (especially if you are Chinese yourself).

My 3year old twin boys also go to a local chinese school for 3hours a day,their homework consists of joining doted lines and colouring.Its conected to a church and they love going,they are taught in English,Cantonese and Manderine both my husband and myself are Western my huband speaks Cantonese but is always working:( the website for the school is www.sjckg.edu.hk. if you need a tutor for help with homework I can recommend one.A friends twin girls now go to the primary school, neither parent speaks Cantonese.Has for Shatin,phone up make an appointment and assess the school for yourself,you will need to go on the wait list soon,good luck.ps the school is in NT

Which primary school in N.T. is it?

Can you give me the contact number of the tutor?


Thanks.

The school is called St Josephs Church Kindergarten,its on Kam Sheung Rd near Kam Tin ,the principle is Miss Anita Leung contact 24882813