Coronavirus: Hong Kong education chief ‘confident’ Diploma of Secondary Education will go ahead as planned

Kevin Yeung says starting the exams on April 24 is still the aim, but survey finds candidates back further delay

Poll also reveals nearly three-quarters are against cancelling the university entrance exams outright

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A poll has revealed students are against the cancellation of DSE exams, due to start in a fortnight with the city still in the grip of the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: SCMP

Published: 5:52pm, 9 Apr 2020Updated: 12:08am, 10 Apr 2020

Hong Kong’s education secretary said on Thursday he remained confident the university entrance exams would go ahead as planned in two weeks, as a poll revealed more than 70 per cent of candidates opposed cancelling them altogether.

Kevin Yeung Yun-hung told the Legislative Council the aim was to keep the existing Diploma of Secondary Education timetable during the coronavirus crisis but said officials were working on contingency plans.

“If the situation gets better each day, I am still confident that the exams could begin as planned on April 24,” Yeung told lawmakers repeatedly pressing him on the schedule.

“Still, we are talking about tens of thousands of DSE candidates, and I cannot simply make a decision now and ignore any future developments.”

The public health crisis has already forced the one-month postponement of the DSE exams, which more than 52,000 candidates were originally due to sit from March 27, as well as the indefinite closure of schools since early February.