Analyzing Minority Group Education & Special Education in Hong Kong

This report provides an overview of minority group education in Hong Kong, focusing on the challenges faced by ethnic minorities and the opportunities available through special education programs. It examines the features of minority groups, including biological and cultural factors, and discusses the specific needs of ethnic minority children. The report also evaluates the opportunities and limitations of special education, highlighting the importance of individualized educational plans and the potential for low self-esteem among students in these programs. Furthermore, it explores the use of Chinese vocabulary and picture matching games to promote language acquisition and social integration, while also addressing potential issues such as bullying and safety concerns. The report emphasizes the need for a safe and supportive learning environment and suggests improvements to enhance the effectiveness of educational activities for minority children. Desklib offers a variety of resources including past papers and solved assignments for students.

Running head: MINORITY GROUP EDUCATION IN HONG KONG
Minority Group Education in Hong Kong
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MINORITY GROUP EDUCATION IN HONG KONG
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
The Ethnic Minority Groups in Hong Kong..............................................................................4
Features of Minority Groups..................................................................................................4
Biological features.............................................................................................................4
Cultural factors...................................................................................................................4
Ethnic Minorities in Jordon and Yau Ma Tei:...................................................................4
Needs of Ethnic Minority Children in Hong Kong:...............................................................5
Opportunities and Limitations of Special Education.........................................................5
Chinese Vocabulary and Picture Matching Game.............................................................6
Issues with the Activity......................................................................................................7
Evaluation of the Games........................................................................................................7
Evaluation of the Activity......................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

2MINORITY GROUP EDUCATION IN HONG KONG
Introduction
The Home Centre Services is an institution formed by the ministry of Hong Kong that
aims at the development and betterment of the ethnic minorities that stay in in the country. It
aims to eliminate racial discrimination and promote harmony amongst the different ethnic
groups that reside in the country of Hong Kong. The center offers services related to
education, skill development, computer literacy programs, and volunteer services. It also
offers social service programs and harmony programs are organized by the center. The main
group that receives services of this community center are the ethnic minorities that stay in the
country. The children who belong to the ethnic group are mostly economically deprived. The
children come from poor economic background who do not possess the necessary facilities
for the procreation of life (nhahome.hk, 2019). Their families could not provide them with
the basic facilities that are necessary for the development of the child. The main aim of the
establishing this group is to develop the ethnic minorities that reside in the country. Their all-
round development is the main aim of the organization. Providing them with better future
opportunities in employment and developing them as responsible individuals is the
responsibility of this organization.
The Ethnic Minority Groups in Hong Kong
The group of people that are comparatively less than the dominant population of a
country are known as ethnic minorities. The ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong comprise
of the residents of Philippines and Indonesia. It also includes people from the countries of
Africa, Japan, Europe and North America . The majority of the residents in Hong Kong are

3MINORITY GROUP EDUCATION IN HONG KONG
from the Chinese background thus this makes them occupy a large share of population. Those
groups that are smaller in number belong to the minority criteria (Erni & Leung, 2014).
Features of Minority Groups
Biological features: The groups that differ from the rest due to the population due to
certain physical features contribute to the biological features of the ethnic minorities. The
differences in the physical features are not great but they are noticed easily when the
individual is exposed with the population. Several features like the height, skin color and
sharp facial features make them identifiable and provide them with a unique identity.
Cultural factors: The individuals who are different from the majority of population
differ in the cultural aspects. They have their own set of religious beliefs and traditions that
are different from others. The language that they speak is different follows a different dialect.
They trace their origin from different historical background. Language acts a main factor that
contributes as an identifying factor for the minorities. The food, traditions and rituals are
different and this makes them the ethnic group (Erni & Leung, 2014). The festivals that are
celebrated by these groups are entirely different from the major section of the population.
Ethnic Minorities in Jordon and Yau Ma Tei:
The ethnic minorities in Jordon consists of the people belonging to the Egypt,
Palestine, Greece, Persia and Europe. Small sections of Kurds and Circassian are considered
as ethnic minorities in Jordon. In the areas of Yau Ma Tei, there are people who belong to the
from European countries with English speaking background and the countries of Indonesia,
Philippines and other western parts of the world. The minority groups in this area face seveal
issues due to their religious and cultural beliefs that make them different from the other
dominant groups of the country (Gao, 2016). The situations that they face are very tough and

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makes it difficult for them to sustain in the country. They need to adjust themselves according
to the needs and the customary values of the society.
Needs of Ethnic Minority Children in Hong Kong:
The government of Hong Kong introduced the special system of education. It focused
on the development of special abilities in children. It aimed at developing the potential of the
children to make them capable of achieving freedom and capable enough to adjust in the
social community. The special educational needs (SEN) is provided to the children who
suffer from various ability issues whereas other children are sent to schools that offer normal
facilities. Specialists are appointed by the schools by taking the consent of the parents and
they provide support to the children who are in need of it.
This type of education system focuses on the pre-primary and primary education of
the children. Children who face difficulty in the learning process can avail benefits from this
system of education. There are children who face many difficulties due to their personal
backgrounds and mental conditions are taken care under the special education system. It is
adopted by the government to ensure overall development of the community and make the
children available for the development of the country at the social and personal level.
Opportunities and Limitations of Special Education
The special education system has many opportunities as it uses individualized
educational plan that focuses on the special requirements of the child for his development.
The disabilities of the student is identified and the plan is made accordingly. The child is the
center of the plan. Extra learning support is provide to the children with special needs. The
instructions and the lessons are repeated for the children with special needs as they fail to
understand the concepts like the children with normal mental developments. Targeted

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instructions are given to children who have learning disability. The instructors are specially
skilled to handle the students who require special attention.
The limitations of the special education system is that it creates low self-esteem
among the child who is brought under this system of learning as he fails to identify himself
with the children who are in the educational structure. Due to the disabilities, the children
have lower expectations from their parents and the teachers. The lack of belief they receive
from the teachers make them doubt their own abilities. This often results in failure that is the
result of lower expectations and low self-esteem. The pressure from the fellow students who
engage in bullying the children with special needs is also a contributing factor in the
limitations of the special needs education system.
Chinese Vocabulary and Picture Matching Game
The Chinese technique of using pictures in an interesting ways to promote education
in a fun manner is used in the education system of Hong Kong. Pictures are used to make the
children recognize the concepts better (Bhowmik, 2013). The children with special abilities
are unable to grasp the concepts as easily as normal children thus including the games would
prove to be beneficial for the students. The main aim of introducing the vocabulary game is
to make the Non-Chinese students familiar with the Chinese concepts of learning and become
familiar with the language. There are many different words that the student is unable to
understand, this has led to use of pictures along with the vocabulary. The pictures are shown
to the students in order to mend the lingual gap that they face with the Chinese students. The
purpose of the game was to make the children of the ethnic minority friendly with the
Chinese language which is very difficult fro them due to their differences arising from their
originating roots. There are different games like ice-breaking, ping pong, knucklebones and
shuttlecock is used to promote the spirit of social activities amongst the students. These

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games are used to create a friendly environment for the students who are in the educational
structure and bridges the cultural gap.
Issues with the Activity
The children who are involved in the activity are sometimes very harsh towards their
fellow students as they humiliate and sometimes make insulting comments on them because
of their racial differences. The teachers should work to solve the problems with the activities
of the group. Teachers can choose effective leaders amongst the students who are capable of
managing the affairs smoothly. They can ensure proper functioning of the activities that can
make help in promoting friendliness and cooperation amongst the group. Sometimes children
lose their interest in the playful activities of the group as the child who is appointed as the
leader can be dominant that may result in a sense of fear and boredom in the individuals.
Several safety issues also arise when the individuals are exposed in large groups as those they
mainly comprise of those individuals who are major part of the population. This creates a
sense of fear amongst the individuals of ethnic minority and the parents sometimes are under
constant threat. The fear for the security makes it difficult for the parents to let their children
venture into the outer world and develop themselves (Wong et al., 2016). It is the
responsibility of the educators, coordinators and the students collectively to ensure that the
area for the development of the child stays safe and sound and the feeling of fear is
completely lost in the individual.
Evaluation of the Games
The new games that are introduced in the educational system help in the engagement
of the students in a better prospect. The improvement of the relationships of the students with
their fellow students is the main contribution of the games. The games are of social help as
they help the students to socialize in a better way. The interacting abilities of the students are

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increased and they experience exposure. The learning process becomes more interesting and
the individuals try to create and learn new concepts. Though the concept is said to be useful
but it has some limitations, vocabulary from the Chinese language becomes difficult to learn
for the Non-Chinese speaking individuals (Jong, Lee & Shang, 2013). The concepts
sometimes becomes boring and the individual lacks interest. The concept can be made more
interesting by using new techniques of smart board learning and interactive picture talk
competitions. Group activities that involve use of colorful pictures and recitation can be
introduced. The vocabulary should be developed by keeping in view the aspects of ethnicity.
The stress on the ethnicity factor can help in improving and engaging a large number of
children. This will help in the promoting a better spirit of learning and socializing.
Evaluation of the Activity
The game becomes consistent with the indulgence of the learners. The nourishment of
the children does not receive much attention as the game part occupies the concept. The
children are more indulged in the game and do not focus on the nourishment. The educators
do not provide the required attention and the students often face malnutrition issues that
reduces their health standards. The lack of health development creates individuals who are
unwilling to play and often face reduced health standards. In order to make a proper plan
there should be communication between the organization and those who participate in the
activities. The plan should be properly chalked out and the communication should be carried
on the upper level of the organization. The mentors and the organizers should try to find more
sponsors for the activities that are done. Food suppliers can be engaged to provide food to the
children who are involved in the activities. That will increase their willingness to stay in the
process of the activity. The organization should make the activity safe that will encourage
other students to join the activity. With the decrease in the safety issues the number of
participants will increase and make the group activity successful. This will enable the

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participants to get exposure and meet new individuals that will increase their engagement and
promote the spirit of welfare.
References
Bhowmik, M. K. (2013). Looking outside the school:‘Out of school’ethnic minority children
in Hong Kong. Comparative Education Bulletin, 15(1), 34-46.
Erni, J. N., & Leung, L. Y. M. (2014). Understanding South Asian Minorities in Hong
Kong (Vol. 1). Hong Kong University Press.
Gao, E. (2016). Tribal mobilization, fragmented groups, and public goods provision in
Jordan. Comparative Political Studies, 49(10), 1372-1403.
Jong, M. S., Lee, J. H., & Shang, J. (2013). Educational use of computer games: where we
are, and what’s next. In Reshaping Learning (pp. 299-320). Springer, Berlin,
Heidelberg.
nhahome.hk. (2019). New Home Association - HOME Centre. Retrieved from
http://www.nhahome.hk/web/subpage.php?mid=120
Wong, M., Peng, F., Zou, B., Shi, W., & Wilson, G. (2016). Spatially analyzing the inequity
of the Hong Kong urban heat island by socio-demographic
characteristics. International journal of environmental research and public
health, 13(3), 317.