Stress levels high for Hong Kong’s Primary Three students because of controversial TSA exam, survey says
Most of parents polled described their children as feeling pressure related to the competency assessment that many want scrapped
Primary Three pupils and schools across Hong Kong wrapped up two days of a controversial exam, but calls to scrap it look set to persist after a survey showed many children still face high stress levels.
Pupils from some 500 subsidised primary schools in the city sat for the written English and maths papers of the Primary Three Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) on Wednesday.
This year, the written papers were conducted in a new format: only one in 10 pupils randomly selected in each of the schools was required to participate. In addition, no reports on schools’ overall performance would be issued.
These changes came after years of campaigning from parents and educators for the tests to be abolished over the pressure exerted on pupils through drilling exercises from schools.
Belief is widespread that the bureau uses TSA data to rank schools. Officials deny this is so.