Hong Kong kindergarten aims to break barriers to support ethnic minority students

Suna Limbu is an ethnic Nepali who lives in Hong Kong. Her five-year-old son, Abhinvadil Tamang, is enrolled in Integrated Brilliant Education Limited’s IBEL Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation Kindergarten, where they largely teach children from non-Chinese backgrounds.

“When my son first started here, he was introverted and struggled to socialise with others. But now, he communicates with his friends and teachers,” she said.

Limbu and her family rarely spoke English or Chinese at home. They speak Nepali.

“His ability to speak and understand Cantonese has developed a lot. Before, he would only speak a few words. Now, he participates in class discussions and interacts more confidently with his classmates. I’m grateful to see him so happy,” she said.

Hong Kong is home to over 600,000 people from ethnic minority backgrounds, including about 30,000 students. Yet, the education landscape is challenging for many of these students because of language barriers and social disparities.

Manoj Dhar is an ethnic Indian. He came to Hong Kong in 1999 and saw how ethnic minority children struggled through school. In 2015, he and his wife founded Integrated Brilliant Education Limited (IBEL) to provide subsidised Chinese-language tuition to students from non-Chinese backgrounds.

Today, IBEL supports more than 260 individuals across the organisation’s two tutoring centres in Jordan and Sham Shui Po.

“We cannot ignore the fact that language is not just a skill but a key that opens doors," said Dhar. “Back then, I saw these kids being left behind because of a lack of resources and support. I wanted to create a space where they could thrive, receive a quality education and feel valued.”

After operating two tutoring centres for underprivileged children for over seven years, Dhar realised they needed to start proper schools to influence the education system and introduce mainstream Chinese curriculum to underserved non-ethnic Chinese children.

In November 2023, IBEL opened its first kindergarten in Tsim Sha Tsui. The site initially served as a playgroup centre before receiving its licence to operate as a kindergarten in April 2024.

The IBEL Rusy and Purviz Shroff Charitable Foundation Kindergarten is a private school, with a monthly tuition fee of HK$1,500.

The 5,000-square-foot institute currently educates 60 students, 80% of whom are from non-Chinese backgrounds.

“The curriculum is designed to cater equally to all children, regardless of their language background,” said principal Vivian Cheung Wai-woon.

“Young children absorb language best through exposure. Our approach is to create an engaging atmosphere where language learning occurs naturally through daily conversations, songs and activities,” she said.

The kindergarten runs morning and afternoon sessions, each lasting three hours. Lessons are primarily taught in Cantonese, with additional classes in Mandarin and English.

The kindergarten also hosts activities celebrating different traditions and festivals, including Diwali, Mid-Autumn Festival and Easter. Students frequently go on field trips to get a broader view of Hong Kong.

Cheung pointed out that many parents whose children are enrolled in the kindergarten lack the necessary language skills to assist their children’s education.

“We also find that the parents may not speak Cantonese or even English at home, making it essential for us to provide more support for those families,” she said, adding it is important for parents to engage in their child’s learning.

“Ultimately, we want to create an inclusive learning environment where each child can thrive and grow. By nurturing their proficiency in three languages, we aim to give them a strong foundation for navigating Hong Kong,” said Cheung.

Dhar said that opening a kindergarten was the “only solution to influence the education system.”

“It is not enough with the two tutoring centres because we can only do so much. To maximise our efforts, we needed to open a proper institution to solve the root of the problem,” he said.

He emphasised that proficiency in Chinese is a hurdle for many of the city’s ethnic minority students.

Dhar noted that non-Chinese speaking ethnic minorities, particularly those from low-income families often cannot afford international schools, and face disadvantages in the city’s educational system.

For the 2023/2024 academic year, the government allocated HK$670 million to assist non-Chinese-speaking students, more than three times the HK$200 million provided during the 2014/2015 school year when the initiative was initially introduced.

The move aimed to facilitate the “effective learning” of Chinese for ethnic minority students through initiatives, such as curriculum planning, resource allocation to schools and teacher training.

While Dhar said that the government has provided “extraordinary” funding initiatives to support non-Chinese speaking students, many of the children remain “highly segregated.”

He said that there needs to be a “system of accountability” where the government evaluates the effectiveness of the funding.

"Without a strong foundation in Cantonese, these children are barred from fully participating in the educational system and social life of Hong Kong,” he said.

“When children are marginalised within their own schools, it not only affects their grades but also their sense of belonging, which can have lasting impacts on their mental health and future prospects."