Night shifts, racial hostility: Hong Kong student from ethnic minority community reveals extra DSE exams challenges
- Ajab Khan, 20, worked hard after school delivering food to help pay for his sister’s education, leaving little time to study for university entrance exams
- He and fellow Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College student set eyes on becoming PE teachers
Ajab Khan was working up to four hours a day after school delivering food to pay for his sister’s university fees, only quitting a month before the start of his Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams.
The 20-year-old student – one of 49,976 in the city taking this year’s university entrance exams – scored a total of 15 points, which is unlikely to secure him a place at a local subsided institution.
But the student from Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College is not disheartened.
“It was better than I expected. I didn’t give enough time for studies,” said Ajab, who comes from a Pakistani family and was born and raised in Hong Kong.
The DSE exams are graded across seven levels – ranging from a 5** high to the lowest mark of 1 – with points corresponding to the level scored.
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For a year, Ajab delivered food on his motorbike to households across the city from Monday to Friday, increasing his working hours to full-time on weekends. He would earn a maximum of HK$2,000 (US$257) per day as he strove to save money for his sister’s tuition fees.