Editorial | Students should not have to face stiffer test

Uncertainty is the last thing students need when sitting for open exams. For the third year, the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination will be held later this month amid a lingering Covid-19 outbreak in the community. If there is any positive note, students tested with the virus can choose whether to continue with the exams inside a designated quarantine centre. The unprecedented arrangement this year is a welcome change, but while it can somewhat ease the uncertainty facing students, the government must ensure the right logistics are in place.

Under the plan announced by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, candidates who have the virus or are close contacts of patients will sit their tests at Penny’s Bay if they choose to go ahead. But it also means they will have to remain in isolation for at least seven days so as to complete the compulsory quarantine period, depending on their vaccination status. They are required to tell the authority by email or call a hotline, and book a Covid-19 designated taxi to the Lantau site before 6.30am on exam days. Officials said it would be difficult to estimate how many students would face such a situation, but believed the 3,000 units set aside for exams and isolation would be enough.

The arrangement would not have been possible if the fifth wave was still raging like early last month. Recent falls in the number of infections and isolation of close contacts mean more facilities may be set aside for students’ use. It is expected that those with only mild symptoms will want to continue with exams rather than rely on school performance assessments. The flexibility is to be welcomed.

The stress levels of tens of thousands of students sitting exams can only be imagined. They have endured class suspensions on and off for the past two years. There are worries they may be unable to get through to the hotline and book a designated taxi if demand outstrips supply. Given the mayhem witnessed during the early stages of the outbreak, such concerns are not unfounded. With still weeks to go before the exams take place, nothing can be taken for granted. Officials must closely monitor the pandemic and ensure students will not be inconvenienced by the arrangements.