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More effort needed to encourage senior Hong Kong pupils to study Chinese history, education centre head says
- Having just 13 per cent of pupils taking DSE exam in subject is ‘far from ideal’, says Ho Hon-kuen of the Centre of National History Education (Hong Kong)
- In bid to boost interest in subject, pupils will from next academic year be given the choice of sitting one DSE paper rather than the current two
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Hong Kong schools should do more to encourage senior secondary students to study Chinese history, as having only 13 per cent of them taking the subject in the university entrance exams is “far from ideal”, the head of an education centre has said.
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Ho Hon-kuen, principal of the Centre of National History Education (Hong Kong), added on Sunday that all of society should cooperate to show students the importance of history. The subject helped people understand why societies succeeded or failed, he added.
Data showed 5,852 Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam takers from schools, or 13.5 per cent of the total, took the Chinese history test this year, up from 12.7 per cent or 5,493 in 2023.
The Education Bureau announced in early May that students could answer fewer questions in the Chinese history exam for university admission in a move to boost interest in the subject.
The arrangement will begin with Form Five students in the next academic year.
“Studying Chinese history provides inspiration by fostering a broad perspective and drawing lessons from the past … It helps us to gain insights into contemporary China,” Ho told a radio programme.
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