Letters | DSE a waste of time for Hong Kong youth not cut out for academics

Readers discuss the call for a bigger push on vocational studies in Hong Kong, the contributions of the late Po Chung, and the government’s eHealth upgrade

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Students sit for the Chinese language paper in this year’s DSE exams on April 11, in a school in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. Photo: Handout

Published: 2:30pm, 12 Nov 2024

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After reading the letter, “To fix Hong Kong’s technician shortage, change how we teach them” (October 24), I can’t help but agree with your clear-minded correspondent who pointed out that something is amiss in our school system.

Every year, approximately a third of the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exam candidates are able to meet the general entrance requirements for university education. That is, about two-thirds are unqualified to further their studies in university. In addition, not all who qualified will earn a place in university – this year, no more than 15,000 places were available for the more than 18,000 who met the requirements.

In truth, the DSE is too difficult for some secondary students. Not only do this unlucky group waste their time in the classroom, but they also suffer endless finger-pointing throughout their secondary school life. If we had a vocational route for secondary students, they would acquire some technical know-how and spend a few years honing it instead of languishing in traditional secondary schools.

The junior vocational secondary schools could be for primary school graduates who find practical knowledge more suitable for them. The senior vocational secondary schools could be tailored to those who, after finishing the first three years of secondary school, do not want to continue the path of acquiring theoretical knowledge.

This approach can lift some secondary students from the abyss of suffering. At the same time, it opens a new avenue for developing more blue-collar workers, rather than churning out redundant white-collar ones.

Yu Mei Mei, Yuen Long