Budget Speech

Upgrading Language Proficiency

115.      To enable Hong Kong to maintain its competitiveness and embrace the opportunities brought by our economic integration with the Mainland, I propose to inject $500 million into the Language Fund to further upgrade our biliterate and trilingual proficiency. Relevant initiatives include introducing or optimising the school-based measures under the English Enhancement Scheme, and creating an environment conducive to learning English and Putonghua. We will also roll out school-based after-school support services to assist non-Chinese speaking students learn Chinese and adapt to the local curriculum as soon as possible for better integration into the community.

116.      Regarding language proficiency in the workplace, the new resources will also be used to encourage employees to raise their standards of English and Putonghua. Such measures may include providing vocational language courses tailored to the needs of the industries, encouraging the development and use of self-learning platforms on the Internet, and organising public education activities. We will, in addition, strengthen research on language education. We will invite the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research to put forward proposals for the above initiatives.

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