Schooling and career aspirations of South Asian students

Background Numerous studies have been conducted in the West on the educational needs of minority students. These studies indicate that students from particular ethnic backgrounds have unsatisfactory educational experiences and various learning difficulties [1,2]. Although the HKSAR government, through its equal opportunity legislation, has committed itself to eliminating ethnic inequality, the South Asian minorities are confronted with various difficulties. Recent studies on the needs of these South Asian students suggest that they face various difficulties in adjusting to living in Hong Kong due to a number of interrelated factors, including insufficient Chinese language skills, lack of a tailormade Chinese curriculum for non-Chinese-speaking students, lack of knowledge about or access to available services, difficulties in finding school placements and employment opportunities, and discriminatory treatment [3]. Although many local studies have been conducted to investigate ethnic minority students’ difficulties in learning Chinese [4,5], little is known about their aspirations and perceived choices in schooling, training and employment.