Hong Kong parents plan class boycott over TSA exam pressure on pupils
At least 60 vow to joinaction in Tai Po over exam blamed for causing undue stress to pupils
A group of parents in Tai Po are planning to stage a three-day class boycott for their children next week to protest against the government's much criticised Territory-wide System Assessment for primary school pupils.
At least 60 parents from three schools in the district have vowed to join the boycott between December 8 and 10, according to a parent who set up a Facebook page to organise the event.
The father, surnamed Wong, had a daughter studying in Primary One at one of the schools. He said he hoped the move would pressure the Education Bureau into scrapping the exam.
News of the plan came one day after Undersecretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said authorities could make "significant" changes to the exams if the culture of drilling to prepare for them did not stop.
READ MORE: Hong Kong’s TSA exam marks should be simple pass or fail to lower the stakes for pupils, ex-official says
Opponents, however, remained defiant. Clement Kam Yee-ning, whose Facebook campaign calling for the abolition of the tests had attracted at least 46,000 followers, complained yesterday that education officials did not fully explain what changes would be made.
"There is a lack of detail about the adjustments. As a parent I find it hard to accept it," Kam said on an RTHK talk show yesterday.
Kam added he was concerned by Yeung's admission that he was an "outsider" to the policy and questioned whether that made him fit to make a good decision.
The convenor of another TSA concern group, Ho Mei-yee, said on the same show it would be unacceptable if a bureau review only focused on how to avoid drilling for the test. She said the exam's aim was "problematic".
READ MORE: Parents who spend hours preparing children for Hong Kong TSA exams have ‘herd mentality’, education expert says
The bureau said yesterday it was concerned that a parent-led class boycott would have a negative impact on pupils. "[This] may deviate from nurturing pupils' positive attitude towards learning," a spokesman said.
The bureau urged parents to enhance communication with schools to lessen homework and pressure on pupils.
Parents from the three schools - HKKKWA Sun Fong Chung Primary School, Tai Po Methodist School and Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Primary School - were divided on whether to join the boycott.
Maggie Fung, 39, a parent from Sacred Heart, said she would support it as she thought the exams should be abolished.
"I don't know about the details, but I support it. It's superb," she said while waiting for her six-year-old son to finish school. "Students have too much homework; they're losing themselves."
But Ho Chiu-ping, president of Tai Po district's Federation of Parent-Teacher Association, said that even if the TSA were cancelled, the bureau could simply find something to replace it. "So instead of abolishing it, I think we should fine-tune it," he said.
