Introduction

This chapter introduces the research motivation, background aims and objectives, rationale, and outline of the book. For the first author, motivation for stemmed from past experience working for the British Council in Bangladesh and the realization that Bangladeshi and Pakistani students were underachieving compared to other students in British schools. First-hand experience of racism and an interest in South Asian ethnic minority students living in Hong Kong and how they can be supported, thus, provided the rationale for his PhD research and this book. For the second author, past research of ethnic minorities and their education provision in Hong Kong gave valuable insight for Miron’s PhD and the previously unconsidered research of ‘out of school’ ethnic minorities with foci on school culture, the cultural contexts of students and their families and Hong Kong’s broader social and political contexts. The three questions that guided the investigation were: (1). What is the extent of ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people in Hong Kong? (2). What are the reasons for ethnic minority young people being ‘out of school’? (3). What is the life of ‘out of school’ ethnic minority young people in Hong Kong.