“I have to be frank; we have 905 NETs in Hong Kong - 489 in primary schools and 416 in the secondary system. With that number there will always be one or two who, because of different expectations and different experiences, will have issues.
“But for every bad report I am getting many more where the NET is a valued member of the school community, loved and supported by principles, staff and students.”
Hong Kong’s economy is on the rebound. Seasonally adjusted, growth resumed at 3.3 per cent in the second quarter, ending the contraction of the previous four quarters. At the same time the United States Federal Reserve is making some of its most optimistic forecasts in more than a year with Chairman Ben Bernanke saying the country is out of recession.
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The global slowdown has given the NET Scheme some breathing space as companies reduced their hiring, but if the recovery in China and Asia generally is going to be as strong as some observers predict, coupled with rising demand in a reviving North American market, the quality of English among graduates from the education system is going to once more come under scrutiny.
The NET Scheme’s biggest test may be yet to come.
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About the Author
Graham Cooke has been a journalist for more than four decades, having lived in England, Northern Ireland, New Zealand and Australia, for a lengthy period covering the diplomatic round for The Canberra Times.
He has travelled to and reported on events in more than 20 countries, including an extended stay in the Middle East. Based in Canberra, where he obtains casual employment as a speech writer in the Australian Public Service, he continues to find occasional assignments overseas, supporting the coverage of international news organisations.
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