Hong Kong Concerns

One of the big discussions around the lunch table during our stay in Hong Kong involved education. Apparently, the mainland Chinese want to re-write the school curriculum, emphasizing the progress that has been made since 1949, while omitting reference to such hard issues as 1989's Tiananmen Square riots and forced abortions. The overriding sentiment of the people we spoke with in Hong Kong was fear of their children being brainwashed, and that their standard of living, introduced by the British, would gradually fall to that of the mainland. In July, there were demonstrations against the proposed ed. changes by at least 100,000 people. Although a fraction of the island's population, this number is indicative of strong sentiment: in July many people are on vacation, and those that were there were focussing on work. The pressure isn't going away, as this article points out.

Polls suggest Hong Kong public distrust towards China is at a record high some 15 years after the former British colony reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, with many fearing Beijing's hand encroaching increasingly into the city's cherished freedoms and political affairs.

Many of the protesters were young students who flocked to the demonstrations straight after their first day back at school, some heckling Leung to scrap the scheme or step down.

Government control is a huge subject, and education in HK is but one small aspect. But with it so omnipresent, it is no wonder that so many parents mortgage their own lives so that their children can leave to go to school in the US and elsewhere abroad.

Welcome to the CASNAV

Yesterday morning did not start out well. Before leaving for China, I was told that in order to enroll A. in school, we had to go to a center called the CASNAV - or Centre Académique pour la Scolarisation des Nouveaux Arrivants et des Enfants du Voyage. Unfortunately,we arrived on the day it closed for summer vacation, and it didn't re-open until Aug. 24th. I was told that in July, an average of 50 children a day were being tested, and in August it would be far worse. I was also advised to get to the center early in the morning, as only the first 50 children in line would be tested, and the next 50 would be given a ticket for the following day.

(Side note: if your child is aged 10 or under, (s)he can be enrolled directly at la mairie, without having to go through the testing process.)

The program presented by the CASNAV seems to be a ideal way to get children fluid in French as quickly as possible, and offers extra support in writing and grammar at the appropriate levels for those who need it. It enjoys a positive reputation in Paris: anecdotally, my nephew's step-daughter came to Paris at age 11 from the Ukraine, not speaking a word of French. She went through a year of the program before being integrated into a regular classroom.  He and his wife were very satisfied with how quickly their daughter learned French. It is true that children will pick up an oral language quite quickly when they are immersed in that language - the writing/reading part isn't quite as easy, and it is here that the CASNAV is helpful.

Since we live slightly more than an hour away by metro from the testing center, our goal was to leave at 7 to get there about 8 for an opening at 9.

Unfortunately, things didn't happen that way. In the early morning, before my 2 cups of tea, and before the sun rises, I don't function very well, and I managed to trip on the sidewalk just outside the apartment, ripping open my hands and knees. By the time the blood was cleaned up it was already 830.

We almost didn't go, but then I thought that if we did, at least we'd know exactly where this center was located.

By the time we arrived, at 940, there were very few people around the entryway. So, I walked in and was questioned by a guard (did I have all my paperwork, including multiple photocopies, stamps, envelopes, double proof of residence, etc. etc.??) I had the necessary documents and we were let in, and I was given a number.

Little did I know that over 200 families, some waiting since 6 am, had been asked to come back the following day, but then extra personnel had been called into action, and I, and about 30 other people had made the cut after 9 am.

Talk about luck!  I can't imagine having to wait in line for 3 hours in the dark, chilly morning. 

A. was taken into a room with 50 other children (there were several rooms,) and I began a long wait. I found out that there were families from the Congo, Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia, Brazil, Romania, Bulgaria, Holland, Morocco, Poland, and who knows from where else. Their level of French understanding ranged from excellent (the Tunisian family had had their children in Franco-Tunisian schools,) to minimal (the family from Brazil was here for PhD research for 6 months, and their 16 year old son was not happy about leaving his friends behind, and was refusing to speak anything other than Portuguese.)

Two and a half hours later the testing was done, and A. had a perfect score in math- they had gone through the tests for middle school, and did not go any further. The testing agent came out with him, and said that they didn't really know where to place him. So she went to talk to her supervisor, who came out and said, "let's go to the main center, where we will talk to the person who is in charge of placing all children in the various "colleges" (middle schools) in the city." Both of these women insisted on their desire to have this year be a positive experience for A., one in which he would not be bored, but would also allow him to make friends and be appropriately challenged. After what seemed to be a lengthy conversation (maybe 20 minutes,) they came out and said that he would be put in a regular classe de 5eme (7th grade equiv.), but they didn't know where, and that I would get the results before the 10th of Sept. The woman who tested A. even went as far as to give me her personal email address, as she asked me to let her know if A. was happy in school this fall. What an amazing show of kindness. I was very impressed. It was a completely different scenario from the one I experienced many years ago when it was time to get my residency papers after getting married. Not all bureaucrats are indifferent, and this is comforting to know.

Now we are in a waiting mode, and should find out in the next week where A. will go to school.

Surprising factoids about education in France and Germany

In both Germany and France, private schools are subsidized by the government. So, if you take your kid out of public school, there is a certain amount of money that goes to that child's new school. Kind of like the voucher system that many hate;

The average salary for an elementary teacher in Paris with up to 5 years experience is 2200 euros/month (over 12 months.) I don't know what the pension system is like.

The average  elementary/ms class size is around 30 pupils.

Many elementary schools are closed Weds. afternoons, and open Saturday mornings.

Two more days

Four years ago, I met a couple of expat Americans living in Buenos Aires. They had just written a book detailing their decision to sell everything and move south with only a couple of suitcases and a couple of teenagers. Their experiment, if you want to call it that, was wildly successful on many accounts. Their children learned, and learned, and learned some more. They became, if not bi-cultural, certainly bi-lingual, and bookwise, were so advanced that by the time they were 19, they skipped college entirely, and headed off for their masters back in the US. Today, they are healthy, independent adults, and their parents are still living the dream in Argentina.

From that point on, I began to plot my escape from my suburban town. It wasn't until I announced, first to one or two close friends, then the school superintendent, and finally the world, that we had decided to take a semester off, that I actually made the decision to spend time with Alexandre in France, that we actually went ahead and got plane tickets, found an apartment, and found out how to enroll in school.

It has seemed like a dream. But now, now that we are actually to board in less than 48 hours, I am starting to panic. What if the pollution causes an athsma attack? What if Alexandre's egg allergy becomes worse? What if Nicholas hates school? What if WWIII breaks out? The more I think, the more my questions become absurd. I hope that by this time Saturday, the major doubts will have vanished into the bright Burgundy sun.