A satirical blog in Hong Kong has come up with a spoof textbook page that parodies racial stereotypes in Hong Kong.
“The Sub-Standard has obtained a sample of another Hong Kong government approved worksheet. The multicultural studies task below comes hours after a picture of a questionable primary 4 ‘racial harmony’ activity went viral amongst local netizens,” reports hongwrong.com.
In the spoof textbook page, students are asked to fill in the blanks by matching the statements to the correct minority group.
Sample statements include “I am Bangladeshi, I am a refugee in Hong Kong and can barely afford food,” “I am Canadian, I get stopped and searched by police every week,” “I am Filipino, I am paid peanuts to clear your crap,” and “I am Mainland Chinese, I enrich your economy.”
A few days ago, news broke about a primary school textbook in Hong Kong that sterotypes Filipinos as domestic helper. The book, The New General Studies P3, published by Singaporean publisher Educational Publishing House Ltd, features a fill-in-the-blanks exercise in its “Living in Hong Kong” chapter.
It states that all Japanese people in the city-state own sushi restaurants and that all Filipinos are domestic helpers, among others.
The Equal Opportunities Commission of Hong Kong have released a statement, reports Coconuts Hong Kong.
“The EOC believes that educational material should reflect diversity, cultural values, customs, lifestyles and the social realities of Hong Kong. It should not reinforce stereotypes of any kind. We believe that ethnic stereotypes must be viewed with caution….The EOC hopes that the Curriculum Development Institute and the Education Bureau should jointly develop equal opportunities educational materials for schools. Professional development and in-service training for teachers should aim at raising awareness of stereotyping issues and developing teaching skills in handling these issues.”
One can only hope.
