Parents to let kids boycott classes over Hong Kong Legislative Council vote on controversial Primary Three exam

Some parents are planning to allow their children to boycott classes after the Legislative Council yesterday rejected a non-binding motion urging the government to scrap an exam for Primary Three pupils that has been heavily criticised for putting excessive pressure on them.

TRY IT: Can you answer this Hong Kong Primary Three maths test?

The motion, put forward by People Power lawmaker Albert Chan Wai-yip, was rejected on a technicality - after fewer than half of the 25 functional constituency lawmakers present in the chamber voted in favour, even though a majority of all members backed it.

"Many parents have been watching the [Legco] meeting and all of us are very angry [at the rejection]," said Clement Kam Yee-ling, whose Facebook campaign calling for the abolition of the Territory-wide System Assessment attracted 45,000 supporters.

Kam said some parents had been calling for a class boycott in different Facebook groups. He said parents would decide further details of the boycott after a special Legco public hearing to discuss the exam on Sunday. He said over 100 parents would attend the hearing and express their anger directly to lawmakers and Education Bureau officials.

READ MORE: ‘Give our kids a happy childhood’: 40,000 parents and teachers renew call to scrap 'tormenting' Hong Kong primary school exam

Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim said earlier he could not attend the hearing because he had arranged an out-of-town trip for personal reasons.

Kam said parents would remember which lawmakers voted no and would use their votes to express their anger in next year's Legco election.

The exams were introduced in 2004 to assess basic knowledge in Chinese, English and mathematics in Primary Three, Primary Six and Form Three.

Although education authorities have reiterated that the exams do not affect the allocation of secondary school places or funds for schools, some principals and school supervisors, including Legco chairman Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, have said the bureau had put pressure on schools to improve their scores during school visits.