Hong Kong exam chiefs admit they would have to scrap controversial history-exam question if ordered to by city’s leader Carrie Lam
- Lam says independent exam authority made mistake and hints at using powers of her office to step into row over test
- She dismisses accusations of political interference and says government has important role to play as gatekeeper of education
Hong Kong’s exam authority has said it would have to scrap a controversial question in this year’s history test if ordered to do so by the city’s leader.
Tuesday’s admission by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) secretary general So Kwok-sang came just hours after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the authority had made a mistake.
Speaking before her weekly Executive Council meeting, Lam hinted that she could use the powers of her office to remove the question on Sino-Japanese relations, which has caused a furious backlash in some quarters.
“The incident this time concerns a professional error. It is not, as some have suggested, an incident involving politics overshadowing education,” she said.
“Until this moment, I had not intervened in the incident. I didn’t [tell] the examination authority what they should do. I didn't invoke the power granted to the chief executive under the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Ordinance to take action.
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“But I won’t evade the issue if I need to safeguard the quality and aims of education, as well as to protect students one day.”
