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Hong Kong education chief insists controversial school competence test should go ahead in May
Eddie Ng cites Canadian experience, but lawmaker says it is dangerous to cite one case in a comparative study amid concerns that exam places drilling pressure on pupils
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The education chief defended his decision to maintain a controversial competence test for all local primary schools in May, insisting the plan should not be aborted due to “political change”.
Eddie Ng Hak-kim spoke up on Thursday after his boss, outgoing Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, also insisted the test for Primary Three pupils should remain in place.
Chief executive-elect and former chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday called on the current administration to drop the exam.
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Lam’s call was echoed by lawmakers, who in a rare show of cross-party cooperation, urged the administration to scrap the compulsory test scheduled for two months before the government’s current term expires.
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The secretary for education struck an uncompromising stance in favour of the Basic Competency Assessment (BCA).
“It is a highly effective assessment tool, involving zero risk and no drilling,” he said.
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