Race and Equality: A Study of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong's Education System

Abstract

Cases of possible unequal treatment of ethnic minority students of south and southeast Asian national origin in the Hong Kong education system have been reported by the press and recounted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social workers in recent years. This issue has become increasingly salient due to changing demographics in Hong Kong and new educational policies that have affected many of these ethnic minority groups disproportionately. Although racial discrimination reportedly exists in many areas of life in Hong Kong, this project focuses on possible discrimination in the education system since equal access to education is fundamental for achieving equal opportunity in many other critical areas including employment. In order to better understand the obstacles some ethnic minority pupils may face when interacting with the Hong Kong education system, a number of interviews were conducted with students and parents from ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong3, teachers, education officials, and social workers.