TSA fail: trial for revised form of controversial exam fails to attract enough Hong Kong schools
Deadline for enrolling in trial of simplified version of the exam is extended after Education Bureau falls short of target on school numbers; meanwhile one schools makes plans to replace TSA with a sports day and ‘learning through games’
The Education Bureau has extended the deadline for schools to reply on whether they will participate in this year’s Primary Three trial of the Territory-wide System Assessment after the number of schools agreeing to join fell short of the target by the original deadline.
The controversial exam has been suspended this year for most schools, but 50 schools – or 10 per cent of those in the city – were invited to take part in a trial of a simplified version of the scheme.
This came after concerned parents and educators called for the tests to be abolished due to what many said was excessive pressure placed on students by drills to prepare for the exams.
As of Monday, almost 40 schools had told the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority they would participate in the trial, according to a spokeswoman for the bureau. The figure includes schools invited and those participating voluntarily, she said, but she was unable to provide a breakdown.
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The bureau was also unable to disclose the number of schools that had rejected the invitation.
