I refer to the letters headlined 'Flawed system' and 'Surprised' (Sunday Morning Post, January 5 and February 16). We note that under the British system (adopted by English Schools Foundation schools in Hong Kong), the age of entry to Grade 1 (equivalent to our Primary 1) is five, with 13 grades to be completed before entry to university education, which normally lasts three years. Hence, a UK student normally graduates from university at the age of 21. On the other hand, under the US education structure, the age of entry to Grade 1 (also equivalent to our Primary 1) is six, with 12 grades to be completed before entry to university education, normally lasting a period of four years. Hence, a US student normally graduates from university at the age of 22, the same as Hong Kong students. In fact, the duration for completing primary to university education in Britain and the US is the same as that in Hong Kong - 16 years. In Hong Kong, although the normal age for entry into Primary 1 is six, children reaching the minimum age of five years and eight months by September 1 of the year of admission are also allowed in. As demonstrated by the different options adopted in the education systems of the above two developed countries, there are clearly merits to taking either five or six years as the age of admission. There being no consensus among developed countries, we consider that the best option for Hong Kong at this stage would be to continue with its current option of six years, which appears to work well in the Hong Kong environment. SIMON LAU Chief Information Officer Education Department
