Hong Kong third wave: schools to hold placement test for their cross-border students in Shenzhen

Younger pupils living in mainland China will undergo assessment for secondary school places in the Guangdong city

Pilot arrangement necessary as many were unable to take the tests after physical classes were suspended in February

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Many students who live across the border have been unable to return to Hong Kong. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 7:30am, 21 Aug 2020Updated: 7:43am, 21 Aug 2020

Hundreds of Hong Kong pupils living in Guangdong province will be allowed to take tests locally to determine which of the city’s secondary schools they will attend, as most were unable to return during the coronavirus pandemic.

The New Territories School Heads Association said on Thursday at least 200 cross-border students from 13 primary schools had already expressed an interest in the pilot programme, which could begin as early as mid-September.

The Education Bureau had approved the scheme, saying schools could carry out the tests depending on their individual needs.

Students take a test to determine their secondary school placement. Photo: Roy Issa

Younger pupils in Hong Kong must take three tests to determine secondary school place allocation in the final two years of primary school. But about a third of schools were prevented from carrying out the assessments for some or all students after the pandemic forced the suspension of physical classes beginning in late February, except for a few weeks before the summer break in July.

Most cross-border students have not returned to the city due to a two-week mandatory quarantine requirement.

While the bureau this week also decided to allow schools to combine the first two tests and only submit one set of results, some institutions are still scrambling to hold the first round.