Gender row prompts change in primary school grading system

Officials are to change the way primary students are graded in an attempt to solve a gender dispute, experts say.

From next year, students' scores in Chinese and English will count less when their school results are ranked because the existing grading system is considered to favour girls, who usually do better than boys in languages.

This follows a complaint against the Education Department, which has been processing girls and boys separately for secondary school place allocations to rectify the perceived weakness.

A girl complained she was not allocated a place in a school of her choice unlike her male classmates, whose scores were lower.

The Equal Opportunities Commission, which sees the case as sexual discrimination, has since succeeded in helping the girl enrol at her favourite school. She will transfer to that school in spring.

According to Legislative Councillor Cheung Man-kwong, the department has decided to change the way the students will be graded.