Breaking through Intergenerational Poverty

By Gou Shing Yan

We can start by tracing back to the beginning of education our childhood. Even then, disparity between children in terms of education emerges in kindergarten and primary school For many Hong Kong parents, their children's education is a race that starts as soon as they are born. In a city where toddlers have to fight their way into their dream rom low-income families he prime time for building a good foundation for students' further academic studies.

When we are talking about education, the first image that comes to mind for many of brand-new textbooks, a shimmering school bag, and fancy stationery held by a well-dressed, energetic student. Yet, has it ever occured to you that for a group of underprivileged kids in Hong Kong, education mean an unstable Internet connection, a blurred image on the tiny screen, and doing homework in a cramped subdivided flat? According to The Society for Community (SoCO), 237,100 out of 1 million Hong Kong children come from low-income families. In a city as affluent as ours, education inequality persists and continues to haunt generations of poor families, negatively affecting one ’ s economic security.

We can start by tracing back to the beginning of education— our childhood. Even then, disparity between children in terms of education emerges in kindergarten and primary school. For many Hong Kong parents, their children's education is a race that starts as soon as they are born. In a city where toddlers have to fight their way into their dream kindergarten by joining playgroups and interest classes, children from low-income families are playing a losing game from the very beginning. Childhood is the prime time for building a good foundation for students’ further academic studies. Unfortunately, for students from working families, their parents are busy making ends meet instead of providing much-needed guidance on their homework and assignments. Young pupils cannot be disciplined and are unable to cultivate the proper attitude toward learning.

Illustrations by Erin Chan

The situation is even dimmer for students from ethnic minority groups and new immigrants from mainland China, in which many of their parents can't communicate with locals. Not only does the language barrier prevent them from helping with their children’s homework, but it also hinders them from voicing out their needs and difficulties to teachers or NGOs, diminishing their chances of receiving the help they need from schools and communities. With limited budgets, they are unable to assist their children by means such as hiring tutors, as their more well-off classmates often do. With a head filled with unanswered questions, it is no wonder that these children’s education falls behind, and they gradually lose their passion for studies from an early age.

As these students move to the next stage of their schooling, the gap in their learning continues widening. Secondary schools are sorted into different bandings, each receiving varying kinds of resources. While students in elite schools are surrounded by equally academically-gifted schoolmates and the best teaching resources, students from lower banding schools suffer from a significantly worse learning environment and are often looked down upon. It is common for secondary school students to seek private tuition to give them an edge in the public exam when they feel like teachers in public schools cannot provide the help they need. Yet, students from poor families have neither the time nor the money to do so as they often need to take up part-time jobs to save pennies for their families. The lack of free time also deprives them of opportunities to join extra-curricular activities to broaden their horizons and develop soft skills.

In today’s day and age when degree inflation becomes a problem, many employers seek candidates with excellent personalities and social traits, like interpersonal skills and self-confidence. To build up these traits, students must have more exposure to social events and various activities. Young people from low-income families will inevitably fall short in the labor market because of that.

When these children enter adulthood, it becomes increasingly hard for them to put their feet back into education. Even the comparatively fortunate ones who are admitted by universities have to spend their four years of studies torn between family responsibility and schoolwork. Worse still, the tuition fee for pursuing higher education is unaffordable for most students from grassroots families. They may have to borrow loans to fund their studies. This financial burden takes a toll on students from poor families, creating a huge debt for these youngsters before they step into the workplace. As a result, they have to struggle through their twenties spending a large number of their salaries repaying debts, unable to save for their future.

For those who wish to pick up their studies after entering the job market, the road is equally full of hardship. Without a university degree, these young people are most likely to get low-paid jobs with long working hours. After such a long day of labor-intensive work, it is almost impossible for them to squeeze out that extra energy to study for another two to three hours, not to mention that many of them may have to use their wages to support their own families. The idea of continuing their studies may sound appealing, but it is quite unfeasible to many.

With that being said, the prospect of breaking through intergenerational poverty isn’t all gloom and doom. To cater to the basic learning needs of students, the government has various types of subsidies to cover their daily expenses. The textbook, transport, and meal assistance scheme ensure students of all economic backgrounds can have an equal chance at education. The Child Development Fund focuses on supporting the long-term development of children from poor families by encouraging children to plan for their future and accumulate intangible assets such as positive attitudes, personal resilience, and social networks. NGOs around the cities have also rolled out programs ranging from afterschool tutorials, study tours, and career planning workshops to mentorship programs, each tackling specific aspects of the personal growth of children.

As for adults who wish to continue their studies but face financial difficulties, they can be supported by the Continuing Education Fund (CEF). The CEF subsidizes adult learners who enroll in reimbursable education and training courses, giving them a second chance to pick up their childhood dream. However, these aids either fail to reach a large group of needy children or cannot keep on providing long-term help to these students. More often than not, once the program has ended, the students are put back to the starting point.

Though the effectiveness of these education programs is still limited, their effort does not go in vain. These aids can be life-changing for individuals who receive help and inspire them to continue to serve the communities once they have the power. Let’s hope that in the foreseeable future, more resources can be put into eliminating education inequality and every student can be given the opportunity to expand their potential.