Joy in the air as Hong Kong children get secondary school placement results

Primary Six students and their parents are filled with joy as the results of the Secondary School Places Allocation are announced this morning.

A total of 52,000 students participated in the allocation, 3.8 percent fewer than last year. Some 92 percent of students were allocated to schools of their top three choices, with 81 percent being allocated to their first choice. Both statistics were higher than that from last year.

Nearly 94 percent of students from the Yaumati Catholic Primary School were given their top three choices, with 13 male students assigned to Wah Yan College Kowloon and 13 female students allocated to True Light Girls’ College.

A girl surnamed Chan managed to secure a place at St. Rose of Lima’s College.

“We feel nervous when we are waiting for the results. Our daughter spent over half a year receiving tuition in English oral skills, because it is important for her to speak English confidently and fluently during interviews,” Chan’s parents explained.

“I feel happy of the result, and I wish to celebrate by staying in a hotel,” Chan said.

A boy surnamed Ho was given a place at St. Francis Xavier’s College, his first choice.

“I felt a bit nervous before the results are announced, but now I am excited for it. I hope to thank my homeroom teacher because she taught me English for three years and my academic results improved a lot,” Ho shared.

“We were so nervous we could not sleep last night because we worried that our son’s performance may drop due to the pandemic. We are delighted that the results are good, and we will celebrate by having a buffet,” Ho’s parents said.

Another boy surnamed Sinn was allocated to his first choice, La Salle College.

“I am excited because I can get into a good secondary school with two of my friends. I want to thank my PE teacher for inspiring my interest in playing football,” he said.

“For the placement assessments, our son received training for his writing and creativity skills. We decide which secondary school to go based on his interests. We will also consider sending him to study abroad in the future to brighten his horizon,” Sinn’s father said.

Lourdes Yu Pui-kam, the principal of the Yaumati Catholic Primary School, said that the allocation results were the best in her five years as principal, and stated that most students were allocated to secondary schools in nearby districts.

“Teaching became more difficult during the pandemic as face-to-face lessons are reduced. We tried to let Primary Six students come back to campus more for preparations for the placement assessments to give them the drive to keep learning,” Yu explained.

Yu also stated that there was a slight increase in emigration of students, with around 30 of them choosing to leave the city this year.

“As far as I am aware, the loss of students is more serious in secondary schools. But the current emigration wave does not seem to change the parents’ strategy in choosing secondary schools, as they continue to adopt a more conservative and safer approach,” she said.