PUBLISHED : Saturday, 12 December, 2015, 12:01am
UPDATED : Saturday, 12 December, 2015, 12:01am
Catherine Chan is heading a committee examining the contentious exams. Photo: Martin Chan
Primary schools must stop giving extra classes and training to Primary Three children to prepare them for much-criticised city-wide assessment exams, the Education Bureau announced yesterday.
The appeal is the latest attempt by the government to diffuse the public outcry against the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) after parents threatened to boycott the tests if there is no announcement to scrap them by Christmas.
READ MORE: Hong Kong parents plan class boycott over TSA exam pressure on pupils
In a letter issued to heads of primary schools, the bureau said TSA training had to stop. It also expressed concern over how some schools were exerting unnecessary pressure on pupils due to the exams.
"Some schools were arranging extra classes, training or mock examinations in the name of the assessment," the letter said.
"We have also received complaints about some individual schools exerting unnecessary pressure [on students], which has affected their interest in learning and even their health."
The bureau said the exams were aimed at assessing the basic abilities of schoolchildren and helping them to advance their education.
Since the entire content of the assessments was included in the normal curriculum, the bureau said there was no need for schools to give students additional training or classes.
If some individual students required additional assistance, the school had to obtain permission from parents and explain the reasons for the extra work.
READ MORE: TSA exam sceptics keep pressure on Hong Kong officials to abolish unpopular test
Schools also had to consider the needs of students and the economic burden on parents, and give a proper explanation if they asked students to purchase additional training items.
But the letter did not say what the bureau would do if primary schools ignored the advice or whether there would be any penalty.
A committee chaired by deputy education secretary Catherine Chan Ka-ki, which will decide whether to suspend the tests and review content problems, is expected to submit a report to the Education Bureau by the end of next month.
The assessments were introduced in 2004 to track Primary Three, Primary Six and Secondary Three pupils' development in their basic knowledge of Chinese, English and mathematics.
But some school principals have complained that the bureau pressured them to raise their exam scores, and this led to drilling and excessive homework for pupils.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1890118/hong-kong-primary-schools-told-stop-drilling
