Don't let rigid entrance criteria keep talent out of Hong Kong universities

This month, final-year secondary school students are writing exams that in many cases will determine their future.

For those with hopes of entering university, their main focus will be on doing well in the four core subjects. Normally, students hoping to enter university must achieve a minimum score of "3" in both Chinese and English and a score of "2" in both maths and liberal studies, sometimes referred to as "3322".

Recently, however, despite these recognised minimum grades, some students were accepted into local universities with exam results that did not meet these standards.

For example, three students were admitted recently to Chinese University with top scores (5* and above) in maths and other subjects, despite low scores in Chinese.

These exceptional offers may be marking a new flexibility among university admission offices and, if so, this should be considered a very positive step. Until now, it has been only those students who perform well enough in the four core subjects who make it into local universities.

This means that even if a secondary school graduate displays brilliance in science and maths, but is poor at one of the languages, his or her prospects for further education are greatly diminished, if not extinguished.