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HKDSE - Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education
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Students collecting their DSE results at Queen's College in Causeway Bay last year. Photo: Nora Tam

Fewer applicants this year, but Hong Kong DSE takers face more stress than before, survey shows

Local youth organisation says pressure comes from idea that university degree is only path to promising career

More students are feeling higher levels of stress ahead of the release of results for a university entrance exam this week, despite there being fewer fellow applicants to compete against this year.

At least 50 per cent of 851 students that took the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination this year reported the highest levels of stress on a scale of 1 to 10, according to a survey carried out in June by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG).

Last year, only 34.4 per cent felt the same.

Hsu Siu-man, supervisor of HKFYG, said the findings had to do with an increasingly common mentality among students and parents that holding a university degree was the only viable option for a promising career.

At least 76 per cent of the students polled believed that the credibility of a self-financed sub-degree, which includes associate degrees and higher diploma programmes offered at education institutions or community colleges, was not widely recognised in society.

“This shows us that ultimately students still view holding a university degree as equivalent to an entrance ticket in life. But not everyone comes out a winner in the DSE. Not everyone is suited for a university degree,” Hsu said.

There are 68,187 DSE applicants competing for 15,000 spots at eight universities across Hong Kong. That means about 22 per cent of DSE applicants are eligible for university degrees that are government subsidised.

Last year, there were almost 6,000 more DSE applicants.

“Despite there being seemingly less competition this year, the pressure to get in is even higher because the students will feel even worse if they fail under such circumstances,” Cecilia Ng Kam-kuen, who works at the HKFYG media counselling centre, said.

There are 68,187 DSE applicants competing for 15,000 spots at eight universities across Hong Kong. SCMP Pictures

“I’m most worried about how my teachers and classmates would think of me if I got bad results,” said 18-year-old Angel Leung Hoi-man.

“My family just wants me to have an education, but I feel like society has an expectation of me to be able to get into university.”

Since June, the youth group centre has received 1,369 requests for help from DSE students and parents who sought counselling for emotional problems and advice on different schooling and vocational options.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Comforting words as DSE results near
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