DSE results send thousands flocking to Vocational Training Council for courses
Hong Kong centre besieged as 23,611 youngsters with required scores battle it out for only 15,000 subsidised degree places
The Vocational Training Council was besieged by 20,000 youngsters and their families after the release of the Diploma of Secondary Education results.
Fearful they may not have been good enough to secure a government-subsidised degree place, some teenagers called for more slots to be made available.
Others seemed less worried about their results yesterday and were more concerned about following their own interests.
The March exams have set the education paths of 68,128 candidates, with only 15,000 subsidised degree places available.
In total, 23,611 candidates obtained at least the minimum score required by the eight government-funded universities, meaning 36 per cent of those qualified will fail to secure a place.
Queues built up at the VTC centre in Cheung Sha Wan within an hour of its opening at 10am.
And by the end of the day it had made more than 12,000 offers, including conditional offers.
Catstey Tam, 45, who accompanied her daughter, criticised the government for devoting 20 per cent of subsidised places to non-local students, leading to fiercer competition.
“Hong Kong has so few university places, but many mainland students are able to get in,”she said. “How is it fair? The government should put the interest of local people first.”
Tam said her 18-year-old daughter did not do well in her DSE exams but had received a VTC offer of a diploma course in community services.
Lau Wai-ki, 18, who was admitted into a higher diploma course in social services and community education, said: “If there are too many college graduates, they will not be as competitive in the job market.”
Chu Tung-sing, 17, said he planned to study child education and become a kindergarten teacher.
Sham Tsz-yan, 20, said her 18-year-old sister was admitted into a higher diploma programme to study culinary arts, even though she received a high DSE score.
