Hong Kong’s prestigious girls’ school sparked controversy over graduation video’s Cantonese ban

Good Hope School, a well-known subsidized girls’ school in Hong Kong, has recently sparked widespread public attention and debate due to a graduation video production guideline. The online circulated document reveals that the school stipulated all narration and dialogue could only be in English or Mandarin, explicitly stating “Cantonese strictly forbidden,” and even warning that any Cantonese audio would be muted or required to be re-recorded. Subtitles were also required to use standard written language, not colloquial Cantonese.

The guidelines quickly triggered an online backlash, with critics questioning whether the school was improperly suppressing Hong Kong’s most important everyday language. Facing public pressure, Dr. Gary Harfitt, the principal of Good Hope School, issued a public apology to parents and students late at night, clarifying that the circulated document was an “unrevised draft” containing inappropriate wording and did not represent the school’s official policy. He emphasized that the school had absolutely not banned the use of Cantonese and fully affirmed the importance of both Cantonese and Mandarin in learning and daily life.

However, some graduates and current students pointed out that this is not the first time such restrictions have been imposed; previous students were also asked to remove Cantonese content at the end of their graduation videos. The Hong Kong Education Bureau expressed serious concern and immediately contacted the school to understand the situation, requesting the school to review the relevant arrangements to ensure smooth communication between students’ rights and the campus.