Exam revision: controversial Hong Kong school test could be made easier
Committee set up to investigate the Territory-wide System Assessment after backlash from parents proposes new papers with less reading and simplified vocabulary
Tests widely criticised for piling pressure on pupils could be simplified, with less reading and easier vocabulary.
A member of the government-appointed committee set up to review the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA), James Lam Yat-fung, said a sample of schools could be invited to try the revised papers.
But parents said making the exam less demanding would not be enough to stop schools easing up on the workload. They asked the government to stop releasing exam results so schools would have no incentive to drill pupils for the tests.
READ MORE: TSA row provides an opportunity to reshape Hong Kong’s learning environment
The 22-member committee, which met on Monday, is expected to submit an advisory report to the government by early next month. It was set up in October amid protests by parents against the TSA and demands that it be scrapped for Primary Three children.
Lam, chairman of the Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, said the committee was looking to invite a sample of schools to try the new papers in this year’s TSA for Primary Three children in June.
READ MORE: Hong Kong parents plan class boycott over TSA exam pressure on pupils
Parent Ivy Ho Shuk-yi said instead of the government selecting which schools to take part in the trial exam, parents should have the right to choose not to let their children attend.
