Policy Address

Ethnic Minorities

132. Ethnic minorities (EMs) form an integral part of Hong Kong. The Government has been providing them with services and support on various fronts, such as integration into the community, education, employment, welfare and healthcare. Measures include:

  1. integration into the community – The Government will set up two additional support service centres for EMs next year, one in Kowloon Central and the other in New Territories East, bringing the total number of these centres to 10. These service centres provide EMs with language classes, after-school tutorial classes, integration programmes, counselling services, etc. Each of the centres will be invited to set up one EM Care Team to reach out to EM households, understand their needs and introduce public services they need. Also, we will continue to enhance the support provided by these centres for EM new arrivals and youths, and will regularise the District-based Programmes for Racial Harmony;

  2. education – EDB will continue to encourage non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students to learn Chinese for integration into society. Our enhanced efforts include designing Online Chinese Language Self-learning Resources for NCS students to provide diversified learning materials; preparing for the offer of after-school Chinese language courses for lower primary NCS students on a trial basis using adapted learning materials for the Youth Chinese Test; expanding the Summer Bridging Programme to include NCS students progressing to primary 5 and primary 6 starting from the 2023/24 school year; and increasing the number of schools that provide school-based life planning services for NCS students, etc.;

  3. employment – Government departments may design their own job-oriented language tests according to the requirements of individual grades to enable applicants to meet the appointment requirements of relevant grades in respect of language proficiency. Departments will also step up recruitment and outreaching efforts to invite job applications from EMs;

  4. the District Ambassador Scheme – The SWD will extend the EM District Ambassador pilot scheme for three years to engage EMs or designated persons to support EMs in the welfare service units of NGOs and the SWD; and

  5. emotional support and counselling – We will collaborate with NGOs to set up a service centre on a trial basis to provide emotional support and counselling services for EMs.