Exam Officials Quit Amid History Question Outcry

Two officials at the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) have resigned from their posts, sources said on Saturday, as the body faces intense criticism over a history exam question the government says was offensive and biased.

Lo Ka-yiu, a senior manager of assessment development, and Gloria Leung, an assessment development manager, stepped down on Friday, RTHK understands.

The resignations come after Education Secretary Kevin Yeung condemned the decision to include a question on a Diploma of Secondary Education exam paper asking students whether Japan had done more good than harm to China during the period between 1900 and 1945.

Yeung said students would have been led into giving an answer that would have “seriously hurt the feelings and dignity of the Chinese people who suffered great pain during the Japanese invasion of China.”

This was echoed by state media on Saturday, with a commentary by Xinhua News Agency also warning that Hong Kong schools appear to be turning into "lawless places" where students are being brainwashed.

Members of the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions staged a protest outside the HKEAA's office in San Po Kong on Saturday, demanding those responsible for the question be punished.

They also called for any staff guilty of "unethical conduct" or who "lack moral integrity" to be disciplined.

The SAR government said on Thursday that the exam question must be invalidated, adding that officials from the Education Bureau would be heading to the HKEAA on Monday to investigate how exam questions are set and vetted.

Asked about the resignations of the two officials, the HKEAA told RTHK that it would not comment on internal personnel matters.