The fact that this adage is translated this way is telling. The original Chinese actually reads “learning is not about scoring points”. The English translation is less hypocritical, admitting that it is “not only” about that.
The use of “scoring” reflects the worrying mentality that has been instilled in our students: education is about competition, “winning” by beating the next person with a higher score. The problem is that winning inevitably means there are losers. Winning in tests and university placements are no guarantee we will “win” later on in life.
Most of us know there isn’t an end point. When it comes to learning, no one loses if one keeps at it. The learning process doesn’t end, and life offers new lessons to learn every day.
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Hong Kong students prepare for university entrance exams amid latest wave of pandemic
Hong Kong students prepare for university entrance exams amid latest wave of pandemic
Standardised tests do not fully reflect students’ abilities and learning. We know this, but we still depend on them because they serve an important purpose. Our education system allows freedom in terms of class formats and how materials are taught, giving students different learning experiences and parents a chance to choose what they see as the best fit for their children.
There is a need for synchronisation, and these standardised tests facilitate that. They ensure that curricula are met and that students are taught essential knowledge and skills. In this way, they are not just a measure of students’ test-taking abilities but an essential feedback mechanism so educators and schools know they are delivering what they are meant to do.
All of that gets lost in the focus on students winning top marks. The purpose of these tests has morphed into pressure on students and their families to provide them with the best tools to win the game.
Top IB scorers from St Paul’s Co-educational College on July 6 when they were informed of their results. Photo: Edmond So
An unintended consequence is signing up for after-school tutorials and test-prep courses that focus on drilling, memorisation and learning the templates and structures for answers. This makes these scores more of a reflection of individual students’ socioeconomic status. The more resourceful parents are, the more access to strategies for standardised tests they can provide their children.
This can also exacerbate inequality given the limited number of schools in Hong Kong that offer the IB programme and the higher fees they charge. The city’s IB students tend to perform very well because there is a very selective progress, with some schools only selecting their top pupils into the programme.
I am only beginning to understand why parents are discussing IB and DSE pathways when their children are only four years old. It’s taken as a given that one should always pick IB over the DSE route if there is a choice. There are significant differences between the programmes, with IB scores taking schoolwork into account as well as exam scores while the DSE is more content-based, requiring the more traditional way of memorisation and rote learning.
Offering parents and students choice is important. However, if we recognise the importance of nurturing critical thinking skills and taking into account the quality of students’ schoolwork instead of focusing on test-taking abilities, shouldn’t we look for ways to make the DSE less content-based?
This is a high-stakes business that starts when students first enter school. We can see that in the recent IB cheating scandal, in which students who finished their exams shared information about questions online with others who had yet to take their exam. This is yet another example of these exams being turned into something that works against students.
For students who are graduating this year, remember that this is not an end. From this point on, it is going to be less about tests and more about learning. Your marks do not define you. How you deal with the stress and take on the pressure will.
Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA
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