Society

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 …