New chief of Hong Kong exams authority says body has not received any instructions on national security law

Wei Xiangdong, who took over at the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority this month, has also confirmed reports that he once served on a political advisory body on the mainland

Wei joins the body in the wake of an uproar last year over an exam question that ran afoul of pro-establishment politicians and Beijing’s foreign affairs arm in the city

3-MIN READ3-MIN

New exams authority chief Wei Xiangdong conducts speaks to the press on Thursday. Photo: May Tse

Published: 5:04pm, 25 Mar 2021Updated: 11:43pm, 25 Mar 2021

In his first remarks to the press on Thursday, the new chief of Hong Kong’s exams authority said the body had not received any instructions from the government regarding the Beijing-imposed national security law, despite the recent emphasis on how the legislation should be taught in schools.

Wei Xiangdong – who took over this month as secretary general of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) in the wake of a controversy surrounding an exam question deemed biased against China – also confirmed reports that circulated when his appointment was announced last year that he had previously served as a member of a local political advisory body in Shenzhen.

Wei, an adjunct economics professor at Lingnan University, also revealed that the authority would be rolling out new measures for this year’s Diploma of Secondary Education exams set to take place in April and May, including releasing results via SMS for the first time.

“Regarding the national security law issue, we haven’t got any specific instructions from the government. As far as our organisation is concerned, we will always be following the curriculum guidelines to set papers for our students,” Wei said during Thursday’s press conference.

Students take the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education exam in Kowloon City last year. Photo: Handout

The legislation, imposed on the city last June, outlaws acts of subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, and carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Universities and schools are required to promote national security education under the law.