How one Maryknoll Convent School security guard's random act of kindness helped a HKDSE student complete his exam
The HKDSE is stressful enough without a venue mixup! A school security guard has become a hero, after giving a DSE candidate HK$100 to take a taxi to the right exam centre.
A student surnamed Lee posted on Facebook on Wednesday that he arrived for his exam at Maryknoll Convent School (MCS) in Kowloon Tong, only to realise that he was supposed to go to Maryknoll Fathers’ School in Shek Kip Mei. Lee said he was anxious because time was running out and he didn’t have enough money to take a taxi. A female security guard at the school saw his predicament, and gave him the money.
Lee, whose Facebook post has received close to 10,000 likes, went back to MCS the next day to thank the guard and pay her back. An MCS spokeswoman said the school was proud of its staff.
So what should you do if you make the same mistake? The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) says you should always check your admission forms to clarify your exam centre’s address. The DSE handbook also offers other key information. For instance, if you are more than 15 minutes late for the speaking exam, you need to schedule another exam date. For written exams, you can sit for the assessment if you turn up at the wrong venue, but you should go to the correct centre if time allows, because the language of the exams at each centre, either Cantonese or English, may not match with what you have chosen.
Jenny Lee, a Chinese language secondary school teacher suggests you visit the venues prior to the exam dates to make sure you know how to get there.
Edited by Sam Gusway