Here and Now

Letter to the HKDSE 2022 Candidates – Are you still fine? | 給2022香港中學文憑考試考生的信——你們還好嗎?

Letter to the HKDSE 2022 Candidates – Are you still fine?

Executive Committee

The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools (HKAHSS)

21 March 2022

The more than two-year senior secondary school life is coming to a close soon.  After the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE), your secondary school life will end.  Is this end a bit incomplete? 

All of you are a special group of students.  You have missed some of the experiences that others had, but you have also experienced what others have not had.

When you entered the senior secondary, the effects of the social incident and the pandemic come one after another.  School suspension for a long time, online lessons, half-day face-to-face classes, then school suspension … this cycle keeps repeating.  The days with whole-day face-to-face classes are limited.  The senior secondary curriculum is more difficult than the junior secondary curriculum.  It is difficult to seek help in the online lessons and half-day face-to-face classes when encountering problems in learning.  Not having a thorough understanding of the basic concepts makes it even more difficult to follow what are taught after them.  Finally, you have listened; you have read.  But have you learnt?

Besides study, the other learning experiences which are most important in senior secondary have come to almost nothing.  School Picnic, Sports Days, Study Tours, Extra-curricular Activities and Inter-School Competitions are cancelled.  Though being elected as School Prefects, Students’ Union Executive Committees or House Captains, there is no opportunity for you to organise activities.  There are very few items which can be recorded in the Student Learning Profiles (SLPs) for JUPAS.

There is a saying that lifelong friends are those made at secondary school.  It is a pity that during the pandemic, you cannot see your friends or you have to see each other with face masks on.  There is no chit-chat at lunch break or after school; there is no after-school study together; there is no face-to-face interaction with teachers during the study break; there is even the impossibility of having face-to-face Mock Examination.  When losing the school life which you found boring and hard in the past, you find that school life is valuable now.

It is also because of the lack of those, you learn to treasure more.  You learn to treasure the limited time with your teachers and classmates; you learn to be more independent, more self-disciplined, more flexible and adaptable, and have a calm composure.  We strongly believe that you can make good use of what you have learnt, and go further optimistically, positively and with ease.

The HKDSE examination will begin soon.  This is an important stage for your future.  The arrangements for school-based assessments (SBA), oral examinations, written examinations and practical examinations are constantly changing.  There are also various versions of HKDSE examination timetables.  Is this road of examination a bit rugged and difficult to walk on?

What makes one puzzled is that the arrangements for the HKDSE are announced in bits and pieces at different stages though the pandemic situation continues.  When you were in the middle of your Secondary Five, in February 2021, it was announced that the SBAs for 10 subjects were cancelled.  But some of you had already started your work for the SBAs at that time.  Approaching the end of your Secondary Five, in June 2021, it was announced that the Oral Examination for Chinese Language was cancelled and the written examinations of many elective subjects and the assessment requirements of the practical examinations of Physical Education and Music were streamlined.  Two to three months before the HKDSE begins, in January 2022, it was announced that the Oral Examination for English Language was cancelled.  In February 2022, it was announced that the written examinations would be held from 22 April to 14 May.  The examination dates are reduced by 7 days.  60% of the candidates will finish all the examinations within the first two weeks.  Some candidates even need to sit for their examinations on Sundays and public holidays; or sit for the examinations for two elective subjects on the same day.  We hope that you can take good care of your physical, psychological and mental health to face these challenges.

As your teachers, how can we not worry when seeing your learning journey is seriously affected? In the last two years, we have expressed many times the effects of the pandemic on you in different ways to the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), suggesting them have earlier planning and announcement: Will SBAs be conducted as usual?  Will there be any adjustments on the content and the formats of various HKDSE subjects?  This morning, we continue to communicate with the HKEAA on your concerns: Can the candidates who are in the restricted areas have the priority to take the compulsory testing?  Can the candidates who are affected by the compulsory testing notice be arranged to take the HKDSE at special centres? Will there be a fairer arrangement for mark projection for candidates who are not able to sit for the HKDSE because of the pandemic?   Besides, we hope the HKEAA will consider that the learning of the HKDSE 2022 candidates is incomplete; and your learning time and opportunities for practice cannot be compared with those candidates of the past.  When formulating the levels of performance and those for the distinction levels (5*and 5**), we hope the HKEAA can have them to reflect your academic level in a fairer way.

While the HKDSE is getting close day by day, the pandemic situation is still not improving.  Does the unknown make you feel upset?  The pandemic situation is not what we can control.  You and many other people are also facing different kinds of stress.  This environment is beyond your and our control.  What we can handle is our thinking and attitude.  We can choose to “face it positively”.  You can encourage each other, organise online study groups, discuss with your teachers and schools about the support you need, etc.

Do not spend time on pondering whether there will be any other changes in the HKDSE!  It is like no one can predict whether the pandemic situation will suddenly become better or worse.  You should be focused, keep yourselves physically and mentally healthy, and revise well in whatever way you can.  You may also step back and think: Predicament may be a trial that everyone has to undergo in life.  There is always a way no matter how difficult the road is.  Let’s transform the environment with our mind!  We hope all of you can stay positive and wait calmly for the beautiful rainbow after the rain.  We sincerely send our blessings to every one of you.

給2022香港中學文憑考試考生的信——你們還好嗎?

 

兩年多的高中生涯,快將落幕了,「捱過了」文憑試後,你們的中學學習,便告完結。這個「完結」,是否略不圓滿?

你們是很特別的一屆學生,你們缺少了一些別人都擁有過的經歷,但卻又經歷了別人未經歷過的。

隨著你們升上高中,社會事件和新冠疫情接踵而來,學校長時間停課、線上課、半天面授課,之後又再停課……周而復始,循環不息,能夠全天面授課堂的日子數算得到。高中課程比初中課程艱深了許多,遇上不明白的課題,線上學、半天課會讓你們求助無門,一個課題最初的概念掌握不好,接下來的課題就更難明白,結果是,聽了、讀了,但學懂了嗎?

學習以外,高中階段最重要的其他學習經歷幾近全無。旅行、運動會、遊學團、課外活動、學界比賽都取消了,選上了領袖生、學生會、社長也徒具空銜,沒有機會籌辦活動,聯招的學生學習概覽是最空白、最無事可記的一屆。

都說中學結識的朋友,會是終身朋友。可惜在疫情下,或是不能見面,或是隔著口罩見面,沒有了午飯聊天,沒有了課餘閒聊,沒有了一起課後溫習,更沒有了老師在溫習假期的面提耳命,連實體模擬考試或也未能舉行。以前讓你覺得無聊或艱苦的學校生活,失去以後,才覺珍貴!

但也因為這些欠缺,你們學懂了珍惜——珍惜得來不易的師生和同班同學共處的時光,學得更獨立、更自律、更靈活變通,也更能處變不驚。深信,你們應能善用你們所學到的,樂觀、從容、積極的走更遠的路。

快要考文憑試了,這個對你們未來至為重要的一關,校本評核、口試、筆試、實習考試的安排改了又改,考試日期至今仍有不同方案。這條考試路,是否略嫌崎嶇難行?

讓人難以理解的是,疫情一直持續不退,文憑試的改動為何要那麼零碎地分期推出?在中五學期中,2021年2月才通知取消10科校本評核;但有同學的校本評核已開展。至中五學期快將結束,2021年6月公布取消中國語文科的說話能力考核,同時精簡多個選修科的筆試和體育、音樂實習考試的評核要求。距離開考試前兩、三個月,2022年1月宣布取消英國語文科口試,2022年2月宣布筆試由4月22日至5月14日舉行,考試時間表縮短了7天,六成考生將會在首兩周內考完全部科目,星期日下午、公眾假期都排滿了,甚至同一天應考兩個選修科,願你們都能好好照顧自己的身體、心理、精神健康,好好面對挑戰!

看著你們的學習生涯受到嚴重影響,作為你們的師長,怎不憂心?在過去兩年,我們多番向教育局及考評局表達疫情對你們各方面的影響,建議局方及早規劃、盡早宣布,到底校本評核是否如常進行?文憑試各科考核內容及形式可否有所調整?到了今天早上,我們仍繼續就你們關注的問題與考評局溝通,希望他們能處理受疫情牽連的考生:受限區域的考生是否可優先檢測?受檢疫令影響的考生可否獲安排特別考場應考?因疫情而未能考試的考生可否有更公允的成績估算安排?此外,我們盼望考評局能充分考慮2022考生的高中學段並不完整,學習時數及鍛煉機會均不能與其他屆別的考生相比,在今年文憑試評級及訂定優異表現(5*,5**)時,能更公平反映你們的學術水平。

文憑試一天一天逼近,新冠疫情似乎未見顯著回落,這些不明朗,是否讓你們忐忑不安?疫情發展非人力所能控制,你們和其他許多人,都同樣地承受著不同的壓力。大環境不容你們、我們控制,我們能控制,可處理的惟有是個人心態和取態。大家可以選擇「積極面對」,與同學互相鼓勵、組織網上學習小組、主動向老師及學校提出所需支援等等。

別再分心去思考文憑試是否還有變數了!正如無人能預測疫情會否突然再轉好或壞。集中精神,保持自己身心健康,按個人能力好好温習。也可以試試退一步想:困境,或許便是人生必經的試煉。再難的路,也有出路。境隨心轉,希望你們都能抱持積極的態度,靜待雨後美麗的彩虹。為你們送上最衷心的祝福!

 

香港中學校長會 執行委員會

2022年3月21日