Hong Kong’s young orators stole the show with their English-speaking skills and self-confidence in the semi-finals of the primary and secondary school categories of the latest edition of China Daily’s “21st Century Cup” English Speaking Competition (Hong Kong Region), leaving the city’s front-line educators in awe.
The event heralds the emergence of a new generation brimming with language proficiency and critical thinking abilities, well-poised to be the special administrative region’s future ambassadors, winning kudos from the panel of judges.
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Now in its eighth year, the regional contest, launched in 2017 by VDO English -- the education arm of China Daily Hong Kong -- has inspired over 20,000 students in their pursuit of oratory excellence, witnessing the birth of three national champions and runners-up.
This year’s semi-finals for the primary and secondary school categories saw 217 top performers coming through with flying colors after four bustling rounds of district contests at HKBU Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School, Hon Wah College, St Paul’s Convent School, as well as PLK Tong Nai Kan Junior Secondary School, with about 1,500 students from some 300 local primary and secondary schools taking part.
Saturday’s rounds saw 40 students advancing to the regional final slated for May 10.
The competition’s widespread popularity in the SAR and the participants’ excellent command of the English language are hardly a surprise, said Christopher Ng, executive director of the Hong Kong-based City Contemporary Dance Company, who sat on the judging panel.
“The appreciation of and appetite for high-quality English education have long been running high at all levels of Hong Kong society -- from individual households and schools to the SAR government”, he said.
Annie Wong was pleased to see her nine-year-old child among the contestants. “English remains the dominant global language. As a parent, I’m glad to support my child’s English learning efforts as many of Hong Kong’s top-tier secondary schools and universities adopt an English-medium education system”.
The SAR’s education authorities distributed a one-off fund of HK$400,000 ($51,000) to eligible public primary and secondary schools and subsidized educational institutions last year in a bid to facilitate their procurement of English and Mandarin language learning resources and meet students’ self-learning needs. This includes introducing relevant school-based learning services, activities and events to enrich the language learning matrix in schools.
“I super enjoyed the competition”, said Jaden Cheung, a junior secondary contestant from St Paul’s College. “While I’d say schoolwork is undoubtedly the foundation of my learning English, I felt more motivated participating in such type of activities.”
The district contests were a novel initiative this year, aimed at providing participants with ample opportunities to gain experience in speaking on the spot.
Such changes are particularly rare, yet valuable nowadays, given that face-to-face speech-making and impromptu performances call for clear, well-organized articulation and tactfulness to go with the flow, said Brian Wu -- Area C4 director of District 89, Toastmasters International, another adjudicator in the competition.
“These are skills often lacking among many youngsters growing up in an age of social media”, he lamented.
“I appreciate the stage, (making speeches) helping me to be more confident as a person and hone my critical thinking skills”, said Cheung, who aspires to be an English teacher. “The competition definitely helps.”
Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com
