More than 45,000 Hong Kong students sit inaugural university entrance exam for citizen and social development subject
- New subject curriculum replaces controversial liberal studies and focuses on national security as well as China’s development
- Teachers say test mainly required candidates to elaborate on answers based on source text instead of expressing personal opinions
More than 45,000 students in Hong Kong have taken the first university exam for the citizen and social development subject, which focuses on testing their knowledge about the nation’s security and development.
Teachers said Tuesday’s test was vastly different in terms of the demands it placed on students compared with the controversial liberal studies exam it replaced.
Unlike the previous curriculum that encouraged students to express their own personal opinions or consider multiple perspectives, the revamped subject mainly required candidates to elaborate on source text material.
“It is no longer about making judgments about something, but about utilising knowledge,” Liu Tin-yan, a former tutor for liberal studies with 10 years of teaching experience, said.
She noted that in the past, the liberal studies test contained comparative questions with clear stances that required detailed explanations from students. But such questions were not in this year’s paper, said the educator who teaches citizen and social development at a Tsuen Wan school.
During the two-hour exam, students were asked to explain the importance of education in enhancing China’s comprehensive national power and how national security education activities strengthened understanding of the country. It also asked how mainland China study tours cultivated a sense of national identity.
