Joy and tears as Hong Kong students receive secondary school allocations

Hong Kong’s Primary Six students received their secondary school results on Tuesday after years of hard work, with many elated and some already deciding what subject to major in at university or considering pathways to studying overseas. Tears of joy and relief filled the school hall at Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road) as students and parents received their long-awaited secondary school allocation results. Among them was 12-year-old Carmen Leung Ka-man, who collapsed into her mother’s arms, weeping from the sheer joy of gaining admission to St. Stephen’s Girls’ College. “I want to keep chasing my dreams,” Carmen said, adding that she looked forward to playing the clarinet in the concert band and taking part in an English musical. “My dream is to become a musician and join the orchestra in the future.” Her mother, Billie Chiu, admitted to being surprised by the outcome because another school had already accepted Carmen, but said she had given her daughter the freedom to choose her own path. “She usually had tutoring, but for school activities, she chose the ones she liked, like the concert band and English drama,” Chiu said. “I told her if her academic results were bad, she wouldn’t be allowed to keep playing. But as long as she does what she likes, it’s no problem at all. Every profession has its own strengths. Carmen is my third child, and the first two are also doing what they love.” Another pupil who secured her first choice was 12-year-old Andrea Lam Ka-lo, who cried tears of joy alongside her best friend after being admitted to True Light Girls’ College. Andrea, who excels at mathematics, already has her sights set on pursuing higher education at the highest level. “I hope I can raise myself to the next level,” she said. “After entering university, I hope to complete a doctoral degree in science.” While her parents had wanted her to attempt “door-knocking” for an alternative spot at another prestigious institution, Maryknoll Convent School, Andrea remained firm on her first choice. “I feel the atmosphere of True Light is very good. The students are very enthusiastic, the teachers are very responsible and gentle, and there are plenty of extracurricular activities. On top of that, their sports and dance achievements are excellent,” she said. Andrea’s best friend, Clover Lee Sin-ying, said her admission was the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice. “I prepared for this examination since Primary Four. Every day, I worked hard on my studies, memorising important words and terms,” Clover said. While the relentless schedule meant giving up some personal time, she managed to find a balance. “I knew studying was very important. I also played ball games at school, which relieved my stress a bit,” she said. Amid the sea of joyous pupils, Hayden Ho Pak-hei remained calm as he anticipated a different academic path. He was admitted to Tsung Tsin Christian Academy and said he planned to relocate overseas in a few years. “I hope to leave and study in Australia when I reach Form Three,” Hayden said. “[Studying abroad] offers more freedom and less homework. The space over there is bigger, whereas in Hong Kong, everything is quite small.” An avid athlete, he added: “I hope I can continue playing football in Australia. The fields will be bigger, and there will be more opportunities to practise.” Hayden’s mother, Colleen Chan, 47, explained that they chose a Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) school to ensure a smoother transition to an overseas curriculum later on. “The Hong Kong system helps children build good habits and discipline when they are young, but as they grow older, it is time to give them space to develop their own potential. However, we still wanted him to build a solid foundation in Chinese before heading over,” she said. Their results were released a day after the Education Bureau announced that 74 per cent of Primary Six pupils in Hong Kong were allocated their first-choice secondary school through the central allocation system, matching last year’s record. This year, 48,545 students joined the secondary school place allocation, a slight increase of 534 pupils, or 1.11 per cent, from last year. They were mainly born in 2014, when there were 62,300 babies in Hong Kong. There are two stages in the allocation of public secondary schools. In the first, discretionary places are awarded based on factors such as academic and interview performance. Pupils can apply directly to one or two schools, with the results released in March. Pupils who do not apply for or do not secure a discretionary place enter the second stage – central allocation. This stage uses a computer-based system that takes account of academic banding and school catchment areas. Students who are dissatisfied with the central allocation results can start “door-knocking” after receiving their results, applying to their preferred schools directly. Each Form One class in public secondary schools has a place reserved for discretionary admissions and there may be other vacancies left by students giving up their places.

Joy and tears as Hong Kong students receive secondary school allocations

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Some admitted to their first-choice institutions already dreaming up plans for university while others consider pathways to studying abroad

Some admitted to their first-choice institutions already dreaming up plans for university while others consider pathways to studying abroad