CANNIX YAU CANNIX.YAU@SCMP.COM
PUBLISHED : Monday, 26 October, 2015, 3:22pm
UPDATED : Monday, 26 October, 2015, 3:54pm
Campaigners say the the Primary Three test should be scrapped because it imposes excessive pressure on pupils. Photo: Nora Tam
Calls to cancel a city-wide exam for Hong Kong Primary Three pupils escalated on Monday after more than 38,000 parents signed a Facebook petition threatening to boycott the test.
Campaign organiser Clement Kam Yee-ling said once the number of supporters reached 50,000, he would issue an open letter to the Education Bureau demanding that the Primary Three test be scrapped because it imposes excessive pressure on pupils.
He also called on schools not to punish those who refused to do drills for the test after the bureau published a Chinese-language article yesterday reminding schools not to impose the exercises on pupils.
The tests, known as the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA), were launched in 2004 to assess ability in Chinese, English and maths, as a way for the bureau to keep track of pupils’ progress and schools’ academic standards. The exams are held for Primary Three and Six and Form Three pupils at government-funded schools. The primary-level exams are not used as a reference when graduates are allocated secondary school places.
However, some education officials have asked underperforming schools to improve their TSA results, which in turn would tell teachers to drill pupils for the exams in addition to the regular curriculum.
TAKE THE EXAM: Can you answer this Hong Kong Primary Three maths test?
In order to strengthen student performances, many schools set up after-school tutoring sessions, including extra homework, and require Primary Three and Six pupils to buy extra TSA exercise books for the drills.
Educators and parents have slammed the bureau for imposing unnecessary pressure on schools, teachers and pupils as they need to do extra work and drilling exercises in order to raise the schools’ results. Both educators and parents complain that the tests are too difficult and deprive pupils of an enjoyable school life because of the excessive drilling.
Over the weekend, New People’s Party lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun, attempted the Primary Six maths paper. He failed the test with just 11 correct answers out of 23 questions.
The bureau, however, has so far stood firm on the tests, saying on its website: “The tests only serve as a reference for schools to enhance their plans on learning and teaching. It’s entirely unnecessary for schools to change their teaching and assessment methods based on their TSA results and to impose drills on students.”
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1872170/nearly-40000-parents-join-campaign-scrap-too
