Protect DSE integrity after China upsurge

The revelation of a dramatic increase in mainland students applying to sit the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination in 2025 bodes well for the education sector as anyone can instinctively see the market potential emerging on the other side of the border.

Mainland students are not shy about why more of them are taking the DSE exam.

Compared to the Gaokao - the mainland's National Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and College - taken by millions of students each year, the HKDSE exam is attractive as it offers a better chance of winning a university place.

Education Bureau figures show that, as at the end of October, over 9,400 self-study candidates applied to sit for the 2025 HKDSE exam - an increase of about 27 percent over this year.

Of these, more than 1,000 have applied for the exam with documents other than the Hong Kong identity card, marking a sharp surge of 87 percent.

There are good reasons for the increase. According to the regulations, mainland students with a Hong Kong identity card can apply for higher education study in the city, overseas and in the mainland with their HKDSE exam results.

Meanwhile, mainland students without a Hong Kong identity card can also apply to study at higher-education level in Hong Kong and overseas.

The increased attraction of DSE can be illustrated in the case of a mainland student reported by some mainland media.

She has a Hong Kong identity card and reportedly went as far as leaving the mainland's mainstream schooling system to attend classes at an education center in Shenzhen to receive intensive training for the DSE exam. She also paid for private tutoring.

As a result, she reportedly won admission to both the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, although she eventually chose to study in Shanghai rather than Hong Kong.

The case should be sufficient to show the attractiveness of DSE to mainland students caught between the Gaokao - known for its toughness - and a strong desire to pursue university studies.

Nonetheless, it can also be anticipated that, as DSE gains popularity among mainland students, there will also be an increase in fraudulent incidents involving alleged "DSE results."

This is evident in the recent discovery in Macau that more than 20 mainland students applied to study at the Macau University of Science and Technology with "DSE results" later discovered to be fake after the university checked with the Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority.

Twenty-four students from the mainland were involved and the cases were also reported to the police for investigation.

Education can be a lucrative industry and, with the likely opening of more education centers across the border to explore market potential, there will likely also be a rise in irregularities.

As the authority and private education sector continue to promote DSE across the border, equal steps should also be taken to safeguard the reputation and integrity of the exam to maintain its competitiveness in the global education sector.