Language skills have withered

I refer to Alex Lo's column ('Schools' bilingualism could be catching', February 7). Lo said 'bilingualism in Hong Kong has remained an elusive goal' - a precise statement underscoring the problem that has existed in the territory for decades. The ability to speak, write and understand English, matter-of-fact Chinese and our mother tongue Cantonese has been eroded over the years.

When I talk to university students in Hong Kong and major mainland cities, I am taken aback to find a great majority of our young men and women have difficulty engaging in an intelligent conversation in either Cantonese or English. There is a little blind spot in their heads that assumes 'language skills' is just like any other subject such as biology or geography. I have lost count of the number of graduates who have asked for last-minute coaching on how to craft a job application letter or write a resume. Some even have the audacity to suggest a one-week crash course to lift their standard of English because a couple of job interviews are coming up.