- Overseas universities yet to determine if entrance requirements will be changed
- Examination authorities communicating with non-local institutions and consulates
The first group of students to study the new liberal studies subject will take the DSE in 2024. Photo: May TseHong Kong examination authorities are communicating with non-local institutions and consulates to see if the revamped liberal studies subject will be automatically recognised by overseas universities, with some leading institutions saying they need time to consider their decision, the SCMP has found.
The first cohort of students studying the new core subject, now called citizenship and social development, will sit the university entrance exams in 2024.
The new subject, which was introduced last September to replace liberal studies, has a syllabus focused on national security, identity, lawfulness and patriotism.
First introduced in 2009, liberal studies aimed to enhance senior secondary students’ social awareness and critical thinking skills. But the Education Bureau overhauled it early last year after the pro-Beijing camp blamed the subject for radicalising youth during the 2019 protests.
Local and overseas universities recognised the core DSE subjects liberal studies, mathematics, Chinese and English language before the revamp.
The current Form Five students are the first batch to study the new subject and will sit the Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) university entrance exam in 2024. Candidates generally need to apply for overseas institutions 12 months ahead of the first academic year.
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) said on its webpage that 300 overseas tertiary institutions had indicated their acceptance of students with DSE qualifications.
Of which, 65 institutions previously stipulated that applicants should secure a pass or attain at least a grade of level three in liberal studies, according to the seven-level grading scale.
The SCMP asked 30 major overseas universities whether they would consider the new subject as fulfilling one of their requirements; 10 universities replied.
None of them said they would take the new subject as the equivalent of liberal studies, which was marked according to the seven-point grading system of the DSE. The new subject would only have two grades: “attained” or “not attained”.
Should schools make it compulsory to study at least one foreign language?
A spokesman for the University of Aberdeen confirmed to the SCMP that they have been notified of the subject changes by the Education Bureau, but didn’t say whether they would recognise them.
“We will take this into consideration when reviewing our requirements for 2024 entry and beyond,” he said.
Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for SOAS University of London said they would review all entry requirements at the start of each academic year.
“We’ll be considering this [the new subject] and whether any amendments need to be made,” she said.
Hong Kong schools and kindergartens to receive copies of Xi handover speech
Other universities in Britain also said they review their entry requirements annually and would finalise the decision before the start of the new academic year, including Lancaster University, University of Central Lancashire and Loughborough University.
In Canada, the second most popular destination among Hongkongers, Sam Saini, Associate Registrar of the Undergraduate Admissions and Student Recruitment and Advising of the University of British Columbia, said the school would update any changes to the criteria or process before the commencement of the next application cycle.
“We are aware of recent changes to the core subject’s curriculum, and are determining if and how these changes may impact the admissions process,” he said.
Dion Chen, chairman of the Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, called on education authorities to clarify the matter with overseas institutions as soon as possible.
“It takes time for students to apply for overseas universities. It’s better to have it settled so the students can get the process started earlier,” he said.
It was too early to say whether overseas institutions would take any political factors into account when assessing the qualification of the revamped subject, Chen said.
A spokeswoman for the local exam authorities said: “The HKEAA has been communicating with non-local institutions and consulates-general in Hong Kong on the latest development of the HKDSE and invited institutions to review and update their general admission requirements for candidates as appropriate.”