DSE Students 'feel The Pinch Away From School'

Concerns have been raised about students who are preparing to sit public exams but could not attend classes in person.

The head of the Wan Chai District Headmasters’ Conference, Tai Tak-ching, warned on Tuesday secondary six students getting ready for the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams next year would have a tough time catching up, and need to make up for lost time, after the Education Bureau announced on Monday that the new school year would open without classroom learning.

Tai, who's also the principal of the Sheng Kung Hui Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School, said the government's decision to continue e-learning caught them by surprise, and teachers have begun contacting students in a bid to get online teaching going during the summer holiday.

Tai said he will continue to call on the Education Bureau to allow secondary six students to return to school for classes, saying they're older than the other schoolchildren and can take care of themselves better.

He said schools will keep appropriate social-distancing measures in place.

Tai also raised concern about the way student performance is assessed, after the oral exams in both Chinese and English were scrapped in this year's DSE. And he called on the authorities to announce any possible change to syllabi, so that students would know what to expect.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung said students in primary one, primary six, secondary one and secondary six could be among those heading back to school first when face-to-face classes resume.

Yeung told an RTHK radio programme on Tuesday that's because those students are coping with a new learning environment or have to sit public exams.

He also said there would be half-day rather than full-day classes at first, to help protect the health of students and staff.

Yeung also defended the decision to continue online teaching, saying there's no better option amid the epidemic, and schools have to settle for that for the time being.