The government could set up a talent forecast committee to propose tailored English courses, encourage language professionals to update workers’ English skills and connect Hong Kong universities to mainland ones to boost proficiency there.
The government continues to leave students and schools in flux, with changes to the summer break now being followed by stringent new vaccination requirements. Putting the pressure to raise vaccination rates on teachers and students is unfair and ignores the damage being done to children’s development.
Stigma around mental health issues, poor availability of support services and other concerns are heaping more suffering on our young people. School counsellors are specifically trained to support young people in school settings, but they remain marginalised and underutilised.
Hong Kong authorities have placed a public housing block under a three-day restriction order for more than 2,500 residents to undergo daily Covid-19 testing, after a suspected Omicron superspreader was believed to have infected 16 others in the building. The order, which takes effect on Friday, was issued after top microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung inspected Kwai Chung Estate’s Yat Kwai.