Good Hope School apologizes for circulating graduation video guideline suggests ‘banning Cantonese’

A circulating guideline banning Cantonese in Good Hope School's graduation video has landed the school in hot water, prompting an apology from the principal and a review urged by the Education Bureau. 

The controversy began when a production guideline for the school's graduation video surfaced online, requiring all dialogue and narration to be in English or Putonghua, with English subtitles. 

The document marked Cantonese as "strictly forbidden," stating that Cantonese audio would be muted and redone if detected. Any thanks to a Chinese subject teacher had to be delivered in Putonghua.

Meanwhile, only one Cantonese or Putonghua song was allowed as background music, where English subtitles must be provided. 

The guidelines soon drew backlash online, with critics calling the ban on the city's most widely spoken language inappropriate. 

No way is Cantonese “forbidden”: principal

In a notice last Friday night, principal Gary Harfitt said the slides circulating online had not been properly revised and contained inappropriate language. 

He apologized for the incident, stressing the message on the document did not represent school policy.

"In no way is Cantonese 'forbidden' at our school," he wrote, noting the school recognizes the importance of Cantonese and Putonghua despite being an English Medium of Instruction school. He further stated that he takes full responsibility for the oversight, adding that a meeting will be held next week with Form 6 students to explain. 

However, a graduate said the Cantonese ban was not new, noting that students were only told last November or December — when the video was nearly complete — to mute all Cantonese clips or redo narration in English and Mandarin. 

The alum said their cohort did not have the energy to push for change as the DSE exams approached. 

The Education Bureau said it had contacted the school immediately and learned that a crisis team had been set up, with an email sent to all staff and students. The Bureau urged the school to review the arrangement, stating it would stay in contact with the school for support if needed.

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