‘Cantonese is strictly forbidden’: Hong Kong school principal apologises after unapproved language ban sparks outrage

A prestigious Hong Kong girls’ school has faced backlash after a leaked production guideline stating that Cantonese was “forbidden” in a graduation video was circulated online, prompting its principal to clarify that the language was not banned at the school.

In an email to students and parents, Good Hope School’s principal Gary Harfitt apologised and clarified that the guideline was issued before it could be revised. The presentation slide “contained inappropriate language and I deeply regret this,” he said.

His statement comes after screenshots of the guideline went viral on social media platform Threads on Friday evening. It said that “Cantonese is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN” for speaking, dialogue, and voiceovers and that “you must use English or Mandarin.”

“If Cantonese audio is detected in voice tracks, classes will be required to mute the audio and completely redo sound effects,” it said.

The Threads user, understood to be a student in the graduating class, said in the post: “This is Hong Kong, a place where Cantonese is spoken. We request an explanation from the school as to why ‘Cantonese is strictly forbidden’.”

“If Hong Kong students don’t even have the freedom to speak Cantonese, Hong Kong won’t have a future,” read the post, which has since been deleted.

A day later, the Education Bureau said it had urged the school to review event arrangements and maintain effective communication with stakeholders, and that it will be in contact with the school to provide guidance and support.

The bureau did not comment on the school’s language policies. It is still unclear why the initial guideline was issued.

Screenshots of the email from Harfitt were shared online after the incident went viral.

“As Principal, I take full responsibility for this oversight, but want to stress that the language/message on the slide does not reflect the policy, the reality of our school, or the reality of the S6 Graduation Ceremony,” he said.

“It never has and I believe that Hopers, past and present, know this,” Harfitt added.

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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.