Letter to the editor – Accepting Chinese students in Universities [2391]

Each year, local universities admit a small number of non-local, mostly Chinese, students into their undergraduate programmes. Since the implementation of this scheme, professors and employers have given positive feedback on the quality of these students. Plans have been drawn up in each university to increase the proportion to 10% of the total student population.

Write a letter to the South China Morning Post expressing your view either for or against this proposition. Sign your letter Chris Wong.

Dear Sir,

Hong Kong universities are always hard to get into. The supply of college places never meets its demand. In recent years, criteria of the game have changed. The significant influx of Chinese students draws public’s attention. Some welcome the idea, some say it is adding fuse to the fire. I believe everything happens for a reason. If students from the mainland don’t bring any benefits to Hong Kong, no one would propose that each university has to take in Chinese students as one-tenth of the total amount of students. Personally, this scheme is more than acceptable. In fact, it should have been brought up earlier.

It is argued that local universities are difficult to enter already. Students with considerably good grades can’t manage to secure places in colleges. Imagine a sea of catcalls if the scheme is successfully introduced. I can’t help but wonder, are Hong Kong students just making up excuses? At the first glance, the scheme is a bit harsh to local undergraduates. However, who says a learning place can be taken for granted? Our students are too lucky to be born in Hong Kong. After enjoying 9 years of free education, as long as their families have the money, they can surely finish secondary education. These students get what they ask for, they seldom treasure it. The scenario is a complete reverse in the mainland. Education is a privilege in China, especially in those developing areas. Thus, students there strive to do their best and try not to miss any chance to learn. Accepting more Chinese students implies keener competition which in turn, pushes local students to be more forthcoming and competent. It looks like a very challenging task ahead of them, but it is called ‘survival of the fittest’ which happens all the time in the world outside classrooms. The scheme also reminds local students not to be too proud of themselves for they always assume they know the most.

Employers would undoubtedly say hurray for the implementation. Hong Kong has been returned to China for almost 10 years. The connection between the two places is getting closer day by day. While businessmen from China rely on Hong Kong’s international financial centre, Hong Kong’s economy counts very much on the enormous market in the mainland. One may ask, isn’t it a bit off-track with the topic education? Actually it isn’t, for university students eventually enter the job market. Knowing how closer Hong Kong and the mainland is getting, employers are expecting more from employees. Speaking fluent Mandarin is only a basic requirement. What helps the businessmen most is their employees’ knowledge of the motherland. Although Hongkongers are regarded as Chinese, no one can deny our ignorance of the mainland. Having a number of employees who know well about China and also a bit of Hong Kong is surely beneficial to any business sectors.

Last but not least, the proposed scheme helps communication between two regions. Hong Kong is known for her creativity and innovation while China keeps most of Chinese traditional culture. The cultural discrepancy is one of the main reasons why most Hong Kong citizens feel uncomfortable being called a Chinese. Many are still admiring the time when Britain was ruling over us. This kind of thoughts has to stop. The first method is to bring in Chinese traditional culture to the campus and let our students know more about China. Instead of seeing China as a competitor, we should regard it as partner of Hong Kong.

In conclusion, I must state again the benefits of accepting more Chinese students certainly outweigh the harm it brings. Hongkongers, it’s time to wake up and realize the truth.

Your faithfully,
Chris Wong

Comment: Excellent work!

BULL SHITTING

Haven’t written for a long time. For these days, I can’t get rid of the evil. Instead, it has grown deeply in my heart, reminding me at regular time interval for eating! DAMN IT! I rather throw away this extremely bad habit than keep going on. What means can help me? I want to have a boyfriend, honestly. He can send sms to me, chat with me, play with me and also dine with me. That’s what I want, isn’t it too difficult? But I think no one would approach me. I think in this way, althought that’s not true. The one I like is the one that like me. I better not to imagine , but to face the cruel realistic world.

Small Teaching Class [9]

Some people believe that small class teaching is a solution to the ever declining English standard in HK and the problem of redundant teachers. You have just attended a talk.

Better late than never
Reducing class size is the dream of most teachers and students. They are calling on small-sized class teaching and in their mind, it is the ideal mode of teaching, especially true for the dramatic drop of birth rate and employment rate in this modern city. The education officers, however, do not share the same perception with teachers and students.

Teachers who pleading for reducing class size strongly believe the configuration will satisfy both psychological and physiological need for both teachers and students. The tradition mode of teaching is mainly chalk and talk by the teachers. Just imagine in a class of 40 students, how can a single teacher deal with all students all by oneself? Teachers always complain about the great workload while coping with the piles of assignments. It takes them more than several hours a day to mark them and obviously they have insufficient time to provide individual students with feedback of their work. The heavy burden, therefore, upsets teachers and this definitely affects the knowledge acquisition of students. ‘ Fair participation among students in small-sized class is unrealistic.’ a teacher in the talk admitted.

Students are expected to be the one who benefits most from the small-sized class. Students will have more opportunity to voice their opinion during the lessons, thus boost the interactions with peers and teachers. Individual students are capable to receive more attention, as well as more assistance from the teacher. The positive effect on under-achievers defies expectation. They are motivated and encouraged in class. Undoubtedly, their achievement will be much better than their counterparts in large-sized classes. ‘ The precious experience I got out of small-sized class is that I can recognize my contribution in class directly impacts my peers and it give us the incentive to invest our time in daily learning activities. ‘ a student gave his comment in the talk.

Although small classes yield more teacher attention per student, opponents of small classes criticize its ineffectiveness because they believe that the number of students in classes bears little impact on how students perform academically and behaviourally. Besides, the feasibility of small-sized class is attributed to financial burden of hiring more teachers, “ The expense of public money have to be considered thoroughly. It’s not a wise decision to pool most of it to small-sized classes.’’ One education officer shared his view on the talk. He also pointed out that reducing class size is not the only way to improve learning and teaching. School curriculum and available resources are more important.

Students are our future leaders. Cultivation of elite individuals is the common goal for everyone in this talented-thirst society. Introducing small-sized class education is believed to be the most direct route towards the goal. It is worth to invest with our future leaders now. However, compromise always has to be made between the demand of large sum of money and the perfect picture we dream of. At this stage, the government is urged to think of what kinds of schools should own the first priority to undergo small-sized class teaching and set clear steps of introducing the system thoroughly in Hong Kong. After all, late is always better than none.

UE 1991 #4 [8+]

Teenagers like to listen to pop songs and see movies for entertainment. They often take the singers or movie stars as their idols. Teenagers will then pay attention to what their idols do and say, and imitate them. It was said that pop and movie stars are bad models to the teenagers as they often do something bad in their spare time. Is it really the responsibility of the celebrities themselves?

Artistes are people in nature. They have the right to do whatever they want when they are not in working hour. Why do they have to explain those to the public? Yes, they are celebrities, and they have to bear the responsibility of what they have done in front of the camera. However, they can have their own lifestyle because every one should have his own privacy. It is not their fault to have their own private life.

In my opinion, the first thing that we should concern is the code of ethic of the media, especially the reports of the tabloids. In order to have more readers and make more money, the reports often send paparazzi to take the photos of the idols in their spare time. The reports will print the photos on the cover with confusing headings in a large size. If we don’t take a look in the report, we will simply misunderstand it. Some of the reports will also distort the truth to report something that is totally unreal. They simply create some stories. It does not only affect the image of the idol, but also reinforce the public’s prejudices.

It is not just the responsibility of the media, but the teenagers themselves. As we all know, the reporters are always reporting something that are made-up stories, we should distinguish what to be believed. Some idols will create some rumour so as to increase their public appeal. When more and more people are talking on that topic, the product (probably a movie or an album) will probably become the best seller. It may be just a gimmick. The producer will reap the benefits and the cachet of the idol will increase for sure. The parents also have to tell the children that we should not be illustrated.

Can there be any responsibility of the celebrities themselves at all? Yes, of course. Although they have their own life and privacy, they have to be careful when they are in their spare time. Try not to do anything that may affect their public image. Teenagers are impressionable. History has shown us that the influence of the idols’ behaviour towards teenagers can bring both positive and negative changes. Many fans started to swear and spit because their idols did it and they think that it is trendy. On the other hand, when Bruce Lee was popular, all his fans went to train themselves and they all became fitter. Therefore, if the idols do something positive, they are contributing to society in certain extend.

To conclude, it is not just the responsibility of the celebrities themselves. Everyone in society should bear part of the responsibility to tell the teenagers what is true and what is false. Teenagers should also strike a balance between frenzied devote to the idols and the reality.

Comment: Your essay demonstrates objectivity and valuable insights into the matter. Besides, your points are smoothly and effectively developed.

2004Q3 [2028]

Dearest Lucy,

How are you recently? Thanks for your letter as well as your nice pictures. You told me that you had won a major singing competition held by the ABC Entertainment Company Limited. Congratulations! I know that the ABC Entertainment Company Limited has offered you a recording contract. Also, you said that you had been admitted to the Police Training School at the same time. What a coincidence! I was extremely amazed to hear the news about your dilemma that it is really quite hard for you to decide which offer to accept. As I remember that being a singer or a cop is also your aspiration. I know how difficult your decision will be, but I’m your friend so I hope you will also listen to what I have to say. I will help you analyze the consequences of the two preferences step by step.

To win a major singing contest is not an easy task. I know you love singing. You said you had to practice singing every day for half a year in order to become the champion of the competition. Yes! You got it finally. I admit that you are a talented singer. But let me remind you one thing: you have been offered a recording contract but not an artist contract. It means that if your album does not have good sales, you may be dismissed by the company even if your songs are pleasant to the ear. Despite that your album has good sales and you get an artist contract eventually, to survive in the show business is not as easy as you suppose. As we all know, many of the singers need to make use of some artifices or maneuvers to obtain a “place” in the show biz. The main point is that I know you for more than 15 years and I consider you are not a cunning person. So you may find it difficult to survive in this competitive field. Moreover, many new comers will enter the field every year. You may be easily replaced by them since many spectators including me like to see new faces on the stage. I’m sorry to say so but it is the true case. Take Jade Kwan for an example. She has nice voice and sings well. But her fate is same as what I mentioned above. She “disappeared” from the TV for a year and it was heard that another singer called Niki Chow was likely to have replaced her. Fortunately, she launched an album months ago; otherwise, many people must have already forgotten her.

On the other hand, of course, I understand that a singer can earn a lot of money and come to fame. As your best friend, I am obliged to remind you that the singers who are capable to earn a lot are just the minority. Also, being a celebrity may be disturbed by paparazzi. Their privacy is always disclosed by the mass media. I know you enjoy singing and performing on the stage not just for money and fame. But I dare to say less than 30% of the singers receive good rewards including sense of achievement. A singer needs to attend to so many other things besides singing. Sometimes they are enforced to do what they are not willing to do. Do you still think that it is easy for a singer to base himself/herself upon the market? You have to make sure you are able to suit yourself to audience. Being a worker, I can tell you if you can’t seek satisfaction with your job, money is one of your main rewards. For sure, maybe you will earn $100,000 or even much more in a particular month. But perhaps in the next few months, if you do not have any performance chance, you may need to borrow money to earn a living. I know it seems cruel to say so. But this is exactly what your parents and I are concerned about.

Unattractive as police constables’ salary may seem, their income is relatively stable. As stated in your admission documents, the salary of a recruited police constable is $14,670 during the training period and your salary will reach the ceiling of $20,995 several years later. If you accept the offer, you will receive a 27-week training at the Police training School. The expertise you learn there is absolutely beneficial for your whole life. After graduation, you will be assigned to a patrol sub-unit in any one of the police divisions to engage yourself in the life-long commitment to serving the community. I’m sure that the job is considerably challenging. Concerning the prospects, being a policewoman in the Force has a more or less advantage. Policewomen constitute only a small portion of the population of the Police Force. But some job duties must be performed by policewomen so they are indispensable in the Force. Furthermore, when it comes to the fringe benefit, it is quite attractive. You will have free medical and dental care. You can also apply for police officers quarters after got married. If you have children later, your children will also be provided with financial assistance in pursuing the secondary and tertiary education. Frankly speaking, after the economic recession, a stable job with attractive welfare is not bad for a F7 fresh graduate like you. Furthermore, when compared with the job stability of a singer, you need not be worried about unemployment because you can work until 55 years old in the Force. I’m quite sure that if you sacrifice the offer from the police to become a singer, you may feel regret one day. Even if you become a singer, there may come a day you are tired of the job natures. If that day comes, it is quite difficult for you to apply for the police cadet once more since the Police Force has the past record of your rejection. If you really have to choose to become between a singer and a policewoman, make sure you have weighed up the pros and cons before making any decision.

Once you have made up your mind, remember to call me or drop me a few lines. No matter what your decision is, I am always by your side.

Love,
Chris Wong

COMMENT : I have nothing to add as your essay is perfect in grammar and the depth of thought.