Hong Kong education minister says controversial TSA exam could return next year
Eddie Ng Hak-kim also pledges an easier test but parents remain sceptical
A controversial test that critics claim has resulted in mounting pressure on primary schoolchildren is likely to be resumed as early as next year, with officials promising it will become easier.
The news came after a committee tasked by the government to review the Primary Three Territory-wide System Assessment submitted its recommendations to the Education Bureau yesterday. But parents said the suggestions did not address the problem of excessive drilling.
As one of the recommendations, the tests would be suspended for the rest of this year.
READ MORE: TSA cheat sheet: what you need to know about the review of Hong Kong’s controversial city-wide exams
Instead, some 50 local primary schools, or about 10 per cent of the total number in the city, would be invited to take a revised and simpler assessment under a trial scheme. The mix of participants would be representative of schools from different districts, ranging from large to small-scale enrolments. Based on the results of this year’s trial, next year’s TSA would likely resume, the committee said.
Other recommendations included making the tests less demanding. For example, students would only need to do two – instead of the previous three – pieces in the reading test for Chinese language. The pieces would also be shorter, with no more than 1,200 characters.
Also, the number of questions for the mathematics paper would be reduced by about 20 per cent.
The implementation arrangement and details were to be finalised in two to three weeks.
Other schools could also volunteer to take part if they so desired. And parents who did not want their children to sit for the examination could approach their schools should the schools agree to take part in the trial test.