A Young Girl Who Has Never Been to School

Abstract

This chapter reflects on a 5 year old Bangladeshi girl and the reasons surrounding her not attending kindergarten in Hong Kong. Shormin was interviewed with her elder sister Romana and parents. Her father was studying for a PhD at a Hong Kong university and, therefore, because he was living on a student visa, not eligible to apply for the government’s pre-primary education voucher scheme. Shormin’s parents were unable to afford kindergarten fees, particularly as they were already paying for Romana’s monthly transportation costs to and from school. Their only solution, therefore, was to home tutor Shormin. Romana also provided support to Shormin through worksheets she had prepared for her in English. An NGO additionally provided support to her three times a week, however, Shormin found communication with her peers difficult due to speaking a different home language of Bangla. Psychological issues and pressures are presented for Shormin and her parents, for example, her lack of exposure to socialization and communication skills with her peers. Hong Kong’s immigration laws were considered racially discriminatory according to Shormin’s father. This case study is further explored in the cross case analysis presented in Chap. 9.