Letters | Strengthen international recognition of Hong Kong’s university entry exams

Readers discuss concerns about the Hong Kong education system, national security legislation, visa-free access to mainland China, and the city’s property market outlook

HKDSE - Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 4 Mar 2024

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In the Legislative Council on January 24, lawmaker Tang Fei expressed concerns about the international recognition of the Diploma of Secondary Education in his inquiry to Acting Secretary for Education Sze Chun-fai. He drew attention to the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) website showing that more than 70 overseas universities had yet to update their admission requirements for Diploma of Secondary Education candidates from 2024 onwards.

Although the issue was effectively addressed, it has rekindled concerns about the future of the Hong Kong education system and international recognition of the DSE, given that many students rely on DSE results to apply to foreign schools.

In 2012, the DSE replaced the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) as the sole university admission examination. To maintain international recognition of the Hong Kong education system, new curriculums aimed to combine the best elements of the old syllabuses for various subjects.

However, the DSE brought challenges such as insufficient teaching hours and questionable curriculum design, especially for subjects such as mathematics and Business, Accounting and Financial Studies.

Faced with complaints from students and teachers, the authorities rarely conduct comprehensive or structural revisions to curriculums, choosing instead to simply trim content without addressing underlying concerns. For instance, logic items like the concept of “if and only if” seem to have been removed from mathematics Module 2. Social studies subjects also cover fewer topics.

This short-sighted approach results in substandard curriculums, when compared to other examinations like the International A-level.

In 2021, the authorities introduced optimisation of the four core subjects with the aim of encouraging students to take more elective subjects and build a broader knowledge base. The DSE admission statistics for 2024 proved the effectiveness of this approach.

Now, it is imperative for the Education Bureau to enhance the elective subjects to further improve knowledge coverage, thereby securing international recognition for the DSE.

Henry Wong, Kennedy Town

Article 23 law not a concern if religion stays out of politics

I write in response to the letter, “Does Article 23 affect religious freedom?’ (February 27). Your correspondent asked a few rather broad-brush questions. First, whether the Vatican would be considered a foreign political organisation. While the Vatican is a foreign state, whether it is a foreign political organisation really depends on its words and deeds. It would be inappropriate to give a cavalier “yes” or “no” answer without specific details and evidence.

His second question was in a similar vein: whether branches of the Vatican including the local Roman Catholic Church would be considered political organisations. The analysis above is also applicable.

In fact, there have been strong indications that some in the upper echelons of Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Church did involve themselves in the politics of the riots of 2019. If someone breaks the law, he or she must bear the legal consequences regardless of whether that person is a church leader.

I do not see how the proposed Article 23 law could give rise to repercussions for religious freedom. After all, religious faith and secular political activities are and should be different.

Francis Lo, North Point

Give permanent residents visa-free mainland access too

I refer to the report, “Solo traveller scheme ‘may expand further’” (February 27).

In response to a request from the Hong Kong administration, Beijing has agreed to expand the solo traveller scheme to include residents of more mainland cities, which will bring greater prosperity to our city.

At the same time, Beijing has increased scope for inbound tourism by allowing citizens from several nations visa-free entry to mainland China. It is sad that citizens of Singapore, our head-on competitor, are enjoying such access, while permanent residents of Hong Kong are not. We hope the Hong Kong government will bring up the possibility of visa-free entry to the mainland for Hong Kong permanent residents.

Currently, elderly Hong Kong residents are allowed to use their healthcare vouchers on the mainland. Many older permanent residents of Hong Kong would also want to use these medical and dental services.

So it would be very helpful if Hong Kong permanent identity card holders could be granted visa-free entry to the mainland as soon as possible for health reasons.

We hope the Hong Kong government will expedite this process.

Lal Daswani, Tsim Sha Tsui

Relaxation of property stamp duties spells trouble

The Hong Kong government’s extreme relaxation of property stamp duties is an irrational move that could create fear.

It gives the impression that the government’s outlook is very weak and that it is panicked by developments in the property market – which have been great for homebuyers, but maybe not for investors. Rental yields are not yet worth the investment.

With the government’s move, we could be in for more price volatility. Expect more transactions and more sellers keen to encash their investment out of fear.

Rishi Teckchandani, Mid-Levels

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