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SCMP Reporter

A counselling hotline set up for HKCEE candidates has received 40 per cent more calls than a year ago, with the increase being partly blamed on the stress of coming syllabus changes.

According to Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, their hotline received 630 calls from students between last September and March. The group also received 898 e-mails during the same period, 80 per cent more than a year ago.

Hsu Siu-man of the federation said syllabus change was one of the factors behind the growing number of Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) candidates seeking help from their counselling hotline.

The syllabus of seven subjects will be modified in the next academic year. HKCEE results are used to determine which school a student attends in Forms 6 and 7.

Ms Hsu said many Form Five students had put extra pressure on themselves because of the syllabus change, believing they had to pass this year  in order to avoid having to retake the exam the following year with new material to study.

'Students should consider the examination as a learning experience and avoid considering the results as  individual pride or disgrace,' she said.

Ms Hsu said the rise in the number of calls was also related to  the federation's promotion of its counselling service earlier this year.

Buddhist Ho Nam Kam College's vice-principal, Wong Hak-lim, said students should better manage their stress.

'Feeling stressed is normal.  Candidates should consider it as a motivation to study,' he said.

Law Ka-kit, who is taking six subjects in this year's HKCEE, said he put extra effort into revising  Chinese history and history because the syllabus would change next year. 'If I fail this time, I will have to study totally different things next year. I'm a little bit stressed,'  he said.

Students who need help can call the federation hotline at 2777 1112 or visit its website www.u21.org.hk.



Stress over exam change sparks more hotline calls