Hong Kong students with learning difficulties may not be receiving the necessary support.
A recent report by a government watchdog has found that schools may be failing to identify students with learning difficulties early enough, missing the best time to render support for their development.
One in three of such students are discovered with the condition only when they are eight years old or older, according to the report.
Out of a study of 6,000 students, about 1,000 identified with special education needs are already between primary three and primary six. Another 1,000 were in between secondary one, around age 11, and secondary six.
“Early identification of possible learning difficulties can enable parents and teachers to provide the appropriate support to the students as soon as possible,” the report reads.
“All efforts should be made to ensure that students with [special education needs] are identified at the earliest.”
In response, Hong Kong’s Education Bureau said some parents might have refused to allow assessment to their children at early ages until their children developed greater learning difficulties.
Also, early identification may be difficult as not all pupils showed learning or adjustment issues at early ages, the bureau added.
A shortage of school psychologists in charge of assessing students in primary and secondary schools could also be causing the delayed identification, said Professor Sin Kuen-fung, director at the Education University of Hong Kong’s centre for special educational needs and inclusive education.
Kindergarten would be the ideal stage for identification, Sin added. After which, assessment should be made as early as possible in primary school.
“Although any child could be identified with learning issues at any stage, the guiding principle should be that there are enough resources to make sure the assessment service is sufficient,” he said.
The Audit Commission report supports Sin’s observation as it found that some schools had not received the required number of visits by psychologists.
The bureau told lawmakers that it had been “progressively improving” the psychologist service to priority schools – those with a larger proportion of pupils with special education needs. Also, psychologists will take care of four schools instead of the current seven schools.
According to the South China Morning Post, the bureau said it would step up efforts to monitor school visits.