Ten Percent Of Primary Three Students To Sit TSAs

The government announced on Friday that it had decided not to drop controversial tests for primary three students, but that only 10 percent of pupils in each school will be asked to sit them.

Many parents, teachers and children were hoping the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) for Chinese, English and maths would be abolished, complaining that schools drill students for the exams, and everyone involved is put under too much pressure.

In a move to address these concerns, Education Secretary Kevin Yeung said in general, schools would not be notified about how their students fare in the tests.

But Yeung added that if schools want to continue to receive the results they can do so, if they voluntarily make all their primary three students sit the tests.

"We believe that with all these measures together, there should not be any serious drilling, I think, among the schools. Even if we still provide an opportunity for the schools to get their school reports," the secretary said.

Yeung's comments came after a committee set up to review the assessments put forward the suggestion of choosing students at random to undergo them.

Lat month, 29 legislators, including five from the pro-establishment camp, signed a petition demanding that the assessments be suspended in light of the misgivings of parents and teachers.

A parents' concern group also accused Chief Executive Carrie Lam of going back on her election promise to suspend the tests until an agreement on the way forward is reached.