Schools violating policy against extra TSA drills may get written warnings, says Education Minister
Minister hopes pressure has eased on pupils, but lawmaker attacks Education Bureau for not scrapping the controversial citywide exams
Written warnings will be considered for schools violating the government's call for no drilling on the citywide assessment exams, the education minister says.
Eddie Ng Hak-kim made the remark after the Education Bureau issued a letter on the much-criticised Territory-wide System Assessment to all primary schools on Friday.
Schools were asked to cancel outside-of-class TSA training immediately. Extra classes for TSA training could only be arranged with parents' consent and on a voluntary basis. Supplementary exercises could be used only with sound reasons and after considering parents' ability to afford them.
The letter did not mention any penalty for schools violating the policy, however.
Ng said education officers in each district of the city had been in contact with every primary school on Friday afternoon to ensure that the new policy would be implemented.
"Some schools instantly cancelled [extra classes during holidays] after the contact," said Ng, who hoped students could enjoy Christmas and New Year holidays without TSA drilling.
District education officers will give direct instructions to schools if there are problems involving the new measure.
"If they are still having issues, we will go straight to the school sponsoring bodies and school management committees," Ng said, but added that this step would be "extremely serious" and he hoped school leaders would avoid jeopardising their schools' operation records.
"If the situation is not rectified, we will consider issuing a warning letter," he said.
While Ng claimed to be determined to stop TSA drilling in schools, he stressed that the exam still had value and was "low-risk", as it did not affect individual students' class promotions or ranking of schools.
Education sector lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen said the threat was a sufficient deterrent but had also aroused great antipathy among schools.
"The Education Bureau has not taken responsibility. The whole problem is rooted in the TSA. The bureau didn't cancel it but shifted all responsibilities to the schools," Ip said.
He said the schools had been facing tensions from both the government and parents.
"On one hand the government said it needed time for review, but on the other hand it places a heavy hand on schools."
He said schools would stop drilling immediately only if the bureau called off the TSA this school year.
A committee chaired by deputy education secretary Catherine Chan Ka-ki is reviewing the levels and structure of the TSA and will submit a report by the end of next month.
Introduced in 2004, the citywide assessment tests students' performances in Chinese, English and mathematics at Primary Three, Primary Six and Secondary Three. Scores are said to help teachers to draft teaching plans and the government to review education policies.
