LettersHow Hong Kong can better support its Nepali youth
Readers discuss the challenges faced by an ethnic minority group, the need for a law to prevent workplace bullying, and the struggles of English teachers
The Hong Kong Initiative for Diversity recently hosted a forum, “Building Bridges: Challenges and Solutions for Nepali Residents in Hong Kong”, bringing together educators, academics, entrepreneurs, Nepali community members and local Chinese residents for an honest discussion about inclusion. With around 30,000 people, the Nepali community is Hong Kong’s sixth largest ethnic minority group. Over a third of Nepalis in Hong Kong were born and raised here; many are descendants of Gurkha soldiers who helped defend this city. Their history and contribution deserve recognition, not neglect.
Yet many Nepali residents continue to face systemic barriers in education, employment and social integration. Nepali youth have one of the highest school dropout rates among ethnic minorities, and unemployment and drug abuse are a concern. Parents, often with low educational attainment and working long hours in low-wage jobs, lack the time, resources and social capital to support their children’s learning. Expectations may be low, supervision limited and access to enrichment or tutoring scarce. This fuels a vicious cycle: educational disadvantage leads to poor qualifications, which in turn mean unstable, low-paid work and continued marginalisation.
These problems are not new, but they are urgent. Hong Kong cannot afford to write off a generation of young people who call this city home.
What can be done? First, the government and schools should invest in targeted, sustained support for Nepali students: high-quality, culturally responsive Chinese language teaching, after-school homework support and school-home liaison officers who speak Nepali. Second, employers and public bodies should expand apprenticeships and internship schemes specifically accessible to youth from different ethnic communities, including Nepalis, so that qualifications translate into real opportunities.
Third, NGOs and foundations can fund “family capital” programmes that equip parents with basic education navigation skills, parenting support and information in their own language. Finally, the government should set clear outcome targets (on school dropout, employment and drug use) and regularly publish disaggregated data so progress for Nepali youth can be tracked transparently.
If Hong Kong is serious about being an international, inclusive city, then Nepali young people must be seen not as a problem to manage but as partners in our shared future.