HKDSE 2020 exam fees raised, HKEAA announce as 2019 exams draw to a close
The increase of roughly four per cent will only affect private candidates, as the government waived the 2020 fee earlier this year
Students will have to pay more to take the DSE next year.The examination fees for the 2020 HKDSE examination were raised by about four per cent, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) announced today.
With an increase of HK$26 to the fee for language subjects, and HK$17 for other subjects, the latest fee for these examinations is HK$670 and HK$448 respectively.
In other words, a 2020 DSE school candidate taking six subjects, including two language subjects and four other subjects, will have to pay a total amount of HK$3,132 for the examination.
Private candidates’ additional fees have been increased by HK$20, to HK$514.
The examination fee adjustment is approved by the HKEAA after they’ve considered several factors, including the affordability of the examination fees for candidates and parents, the operation costs of public examinations, the inflation rate, and the Authority’s overall financial position.
The examination fee is the primary source of income for the HKEAA, a financially independent statutory organisation. It has been adversely affected by the continuous drop of candidates in recent years, as well as by the need to allocate extra resources to providing special examination arrangements for candidates with special educational needs, and upgrading information technology systems supporting the examination operations.
Earlier this year, on February 27, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced that the government would waive the examination fee for school candidates sitting for the 2020 HKDSE examination, which involves an expenditure of about HK$160 million.
The registration for Category C Other Language subjects will be open in mid-June 2019 and the registration for Categories A and B subjects will commence in September 2019.