customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Leopold Chen

A group of secondary school heads in Hong Kong has called on the government to drop the language requirements for university admission to “avoid placing too much focus” on the skills as authorities seek to promote institutions specialising in vocational training.
The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools on Thursday suggested only the “total grade points in the best five subjects” be counted instead of the current grades for both Chinese and English languages.
“This can avoid placing too much focus on language ability and can more holistically take care of students of different abilities,” the association said, ahead of the chief executive’s policy address in October.
Diploma of Secondary Education Examination candidates are only qualified for university entrance if they attain at least Level 3 out of the five-tier grading system in both Chinese and English languages.
They should also get at least Level 2 in mathematics and pass the citizenship and social development subject.
Nearly 50,000 students sat the DSE exams this year, while 37.5 per cent reached the threshold to continue studying.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu discussed upgrading educational institutions to the status of universities of applied sciences in his policy address in October last year as part of an effort to change negative perceptions about vocational education.
The Hong Kong Metropolitan University became the first in the city to obtain an applied sciences status this year and has recorded a 23 per cent spike in first-year student enrolments to 3,100 pupils.
But the school heads emphasised the importance of English proficiency among students.
“Hong Kong students need to maintain their outstanding English abilities to play the role of ‘super-connectors’ who are ‘enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world’ continuously,” the association said.
But lawmaker Tang Fei, a former secondary school principal, had reservations about the proposal.
“The association underlined the importance of the English language, but its proposed reform does not reflect this,” Tang said. “If admission is only based on the best five subjects and a student happens to be bad at English, he or she may simply give up on the language.”
Lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung, who represents the education sector in the legislature, also said it was “controversial” and difficult to implement the proposal.
He said the core subjects of Chinese and English languages, mathematics and citizenship and social development could assess students on their “common capabilities” and served as a “fair threshold”.
“Using the best five to six subjects’ results as the benchmark may lead to confusion when comparing apples to oranges, potentially resulting in unfairness,” he said.
The association also called for more government-funded university places to boost the confidence of students and their hopes for the future.
“The total number of places at universities has always been 15,000. Hong Kong secondary school students need to face keen competition to be admitted to universities. Many of them need to study associate degree programmes before they can be admitted to the degree programmes,” it said.
Other suggestions included reducing the size of secondary classes, allowing greater school autonomy and allowing foreign students with visas to remain in public enrolment.


Language skills shouldn’t be compulsory for university admissions in Hong Kong: principals

Low birth rate alone can’t explain Hong Kong education system’s woes

Interview training for preschool pupils? Hong Kong parents say yes, but government objects

Ex-headmaster charged with fraud for cheating Hong Kong primary school out of HK$270,000

Education in Hong Kong

Nearly 50,000 students sat the DSE exams this year, while 37.5 per cent reached the threshold to continue studying. Photo: Handout

Pupils return to school on the first day of the academic year. Many popular private, international or DSS primary schools require applicants to sit for admission interviews. Photo: Sam Tsang

 Interview skills have become essential across different school levels, a parent noted. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong Metropolitan University reports 23% jump in number of first-year students

According to the university, its number of first-year students stood at 3,102 for the 2024-25 academic year, up from 2,520 in the previous one. Photo: Edmond So

University president Paul Lam talks to a student at its new hostel. Photo: SCMP

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools seeks to balance English requirement with demands for city’s future


Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools seeks to balance English requirement with demands for city’s future.
