Eddie Ng
The Secretary for Education, Eddie Ng, on Monday has rejected criticism over an assessment system for local primary three students.
He said it was a misunderstanding that the test was "too tough", insisting that scrapping it would be "a step backwards".
The Territory-wide System Assessment – or TSA – is meant to track students' progress in learning Chinese, English and Mathematics.
But there has been a recent outcry from parents who want to do away with the tests. More than 38,000 people have signed up to an online campaign calling to end the tests.
They say the tests help students achieve little academically but put unnecessary pressure on children and parents. They also claim the tests are often too difficult for children at that young age.
Ng, however, said questions for TSA tests are made public online and people can see for themselves whether they are difficult or not.
"If there are schools, or if there is a school, actually pushing [students] so hard, I would like to know. Because it would be defeating the original purpose of the TSA. [This] itself is a really good tool, when we ask opinions from schools and so on, they did tell us that this is a very important, meaningful and effective tool" to improve the teaching and learning for students, Ng added.
Ng insisted that schools are never required to report the TSA results, they are not ranked accordingly and the tests do not affect students' promotion of classes.
He was speaking as the Civic Party launched a two-week campaign to collect signatures against the assessment system.
He said it was a misunderstanding that the test was "too tough", insisting that scrapping it would be "a step backwards".
The Territory-wide System Assessment – or TSA – is meant to track students' progress in learning Chinese, English and Mathematics.
But there has been a recent outcry from parents who want to do away with the tests. More than 38,000 people have signed up to an online campaign calling to end the tests.
They say the tests help students achieve little academically but put unnecessary pressure on children and parents. They also claim the tests are often too difficult for children at that young age.
Ng, however, said questions for TSA tests are made public online and people can see for themselves whether they are difficult or not.
"If there are schools, or if there is a school, actually pushing [students] so hard, I would like to know. Because it would be defeating the original purpose of the TSA. [This] itself is a really good tool, when we ask opinions from schools and so on, they did tell us that this is a very important, meaningful and effective tool" to improve the teaching and learning for students, Ng added.
Ng insisted that schools are never required to report the TSA results, they are not ranked accordingly and the tests do not affect students' promotion of classes.
He was speaking as the Civic Party launched a two-week campaign to collect signatures against the assessment system.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1219676-20151026.htm
