Hong Kong’s Education Bureau has explained why it is proposing that Primary Two pupils learn to type Chinese using pinyin under a new primary school technology curriculum, after questions were raised about the absence of other input methods commonly used in the city.
The draft curriculum framework, published on 30 October, says Primary Two pupils should be able to use a keyboard to enter Chinese using Hanyu Pinyin at a basic level.
Hanyu Pinyin uses the Roman alphabet to represent Putonghua pronunciation. Cangjie and Quick, two methods familiar to many Hong Kong users, instead use codes based on the shapes or components of Chinese characters. They are not named in the draft’s Primary Two typing objective.
In a statement published on 9 November, the bureau said pupils would first become familiar with English keyboard input before moving on to Chinese. It argued that pinyin typing could build on what children learn in their existing Putonghua lessons.
The bureau said the approach would avoid requiring pupils to learn a separate system for breaking down characters, such as Cangjie, from the beginning. It also said it considered the lack of consistency between Cantonese romanisation systems a difficulty for teachers and pupils learning Cantonese phonetic input.
A draft, with a phased introduction
The proposed typing objective forms part of the new Information and Innovation Technology subject, which will also cover areas including programming, artificial intelligence, robotics and the responsible use of technology.
According to the bureau, Hong Kong primary schools will begin introducing the subject in the 2028/29 school year. The initial rollout is planned for Primary One and Primary Four, with other years added progressively. Schools that are ready may introduce it across all primary years at once. This means the proposed Primary Two objective would not necessarily be taught to every Primary Two pupil in 2028/29.
The framework remains a draft. Its decision to name pinyin in the Primary Two objective does not itself amount to a ban on schools teaching other Chinese input methods.
