data collection index (data | graphs | tables) project index quality assessment
English or languish - Probing the ramifications
of Hong Kong's language policy

Quality Assessment
Section five

Hong Kong's Bottom Line
The Opportunity Cost of English Language Study in Hong Kong
Table 48 - A reasonable guess about the number of students pursuing certified English language waste certification in 2001.
graph 78 | table 43 | table 44 | table 45 | table 46 | tables 47a, 47b, and 47c | table 49 | table 50 | table 51 | tables 52a, 52b, and 52c | data collection (tables) | distillation and disposal plant (disposal | teachers' salaries)




Waste estimates



Unweighted2
 Weighted3
Grade Level
 Code
 Students1 High
 Medium
 Low
 High
95%
 Medium
80%
 Low
70%
 Total4


(1)
 (2)
 (3)
 (4)
 (5)
 (6)
 (7)
 (8)
Graduates
 G4
 1,008







G3
 1,008







G2
 4.090







G1
 4,090






Undergraduate
 U3
 16,988







U2 20,676






FYFD U1 20,676






HKALE5
16,311






KS5
 S7
 29,718

13,408

9,385 9,385

S6
 29,718

13,408

9,385 9,385
HKCEE6
44,880






KS4
 S5
 75,443 30,563
 15,162
 13,408 29,035
 12,129
 9,385
 50,549

S4
 75,443
 30,563
 15,162
 13,408 29,035
 12,129
 9,385 50,549
KS3
 S3
 82,044
 37,164
 15,162 13,408 35,306
 12,129 9,385 56,820

S2
 82,044
 37,164
 15,162 13,408 35,306
 12,129 9,385 56,820

S1
 82,044
 37,164
 15,162 13,408 35,306
 12,129 9,385 56,820
KS2
 P6
 84,407
 39,527
 15,162 13,408 37,551
 12,129 9,385 59,065

P5
 84,407
 39,527
 15,162 13,408 37,551
 12,129 9,385 59,065

P4
 84,407
 39,527
 15,162 13,408 37,551
 12,129 9,385 59,065
KS1
 P3
 79,951
 35,071
 15,162 13,408 33,318
 12,129 9,385 54,832

P2
 79,951
 35,071
 15,162 13,408 33,318
 12,129 9,385 54,832

P1
 79,951
 35,071
 15,162 13,408 33,318
 12,129 9,385 54,832

K3
 52,067
 7,187
 15,162 13,408 6,828
 12,129 9,385 28,342

K2
 52,067
 7,187
 15,162 13,408 6,828
 12,129 9,385 28,342

K1
 52,607
 7,187
 15,162 13,408 6,828
 12,129 9,385 28,342
Total
 1,105,732
 Total
 717,049



Percent waste 64.8%

7Total less P1-P3
 552,552

Percent waste
 50.0%










Note 1: Please see table 43 for the exact source. (table)
Note 2: These values correspond to the shaded areas found in graph 78 for the year 2001. They were calculated as follows:
High: Number of students at each level in 2001 less the number of students who met the minimum qualifications for entry into a secondary form VI (or VII) program in 2002.

Medium: Number of students who met the minimum qualifications for entry into a secondary form VI (or VII) program in 2002 less the number of students enrolled in a secondary form VI program in 2001.

Low: Number of students enrolled in a secondary form VI (or VII) program less the number of students who met the qualifications necessary for entry into a Hong Kong (UGC funded) university. (table)
Note 3: These are somewhat arbitrarily selected weights. They are arbitrary in so far as they are informed guesses rather than empirically determined values. One of the goals of the HKLNA-Project is to determine these values empirically. They are somewhat arbitrary insofar as the total in which they result was targeted at 60%. Please see graph 35a and table 35 for an appropriate bench mark. The values that result in columns (5), (6), and (7) are found by multiplying the values in columns (2), (3), and (4), respectively, by the weights indicated at the top of each column.  This is performed for each level of education. (tables 48 | 49)
Note 4: This is the sum of columns (5), (6), and (7). (table)
Note 5: Selecting HKALE examination results for 2002 was simply convenient. As the number of candidates allowed to pass appears to be just as much a problem of university vacancies at UGC schools, as it is a matter of having mastered a certain body of knowledge, nearly any year close to 2001 could have been selected with as much accuracy.  See the subsection entitle Tool of exclusion under Language as Tool, Quality Assessment for further discussion with regard to Hong Kong's scholastic filters. (table)
Note 6: The discussion here is the same as in note 5, but the breadth of the filter is expanded to include both university and secondary forms VI and VII vacancies. (table)
Note 7: This value is obtained by subtracting the values P1, P2, and P3 in column (8) from the column's total. The notion behind this adjustment is straight forward. At some point in a child's school career, it should be determined, whether he or she is well-suited for advanced language study. The earlier this decision can be reached with good confidence the better, as it spares the child wasted effort and Hong Kong parents many tax dollars devoted to wasteful public education. Just how many years are  required may vary from  student to student, but this should not pose a problem, as the learning of second (or foreign) languages  -- not necessarily English -- should be made optional at all levels.

Under the assumption that the English language were no longer made a requirement for entry into all Hong Kong universities, the pressure at the pre-primary level could be greatly reduced. It is for this reason that pre-primary English language education is still considered wasteful for all but the few who eventually make it into a Hong Kong (or even overseas) tertiary institution. (tables 48 | 49)
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