HKEAA Invalidates Controversial History Question

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) confirmed on Friday evening that it would pull a controversial question from its Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) history exam.

The exams body's council decided to invalidate the relevant question, which accounted for eight points on the paper. Candidates will instead be assessed on the basis of their answers to other questions.

The question at the centre of the furore asked students whether Japan did more good than harm to China between 1900 and 1945.

The Education Bureau ordered the HKEAA to scrap the question saying it's biased and hurtful to Chinese people.

The authority said it had concluded that the question deviated from curriculum guidelines and assessment goals, and agreed that the wording of the question was not comprehensive enough.

Earlier this week Chief Executive Carrie Lam dismissed suggestions that her administration had interfered in the Diploma of Secondary Education history exam furore, but said a step had been taken to correct a "professional mistake".

But critics, including education sector lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, dubbed criticisms directed as the exam board as unnecessary intervention by the government and damaging to the education system.

______________________________