Teacher held after DSE exam paper posted online

Eunice Lam

The exam authority reassured that the confidentiality of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination will not be affected after a 23-year-old teacher and invigilator was arrested for posting an exam paper to mainland social media Xiaohongshu.

The woman, surnamed Lau, who is a teaching assistant at a secondary school, would have to report back to the police in mid-May.

Sources said the woman is also an invigilator in this year's DSE exams. She is among five Xiaohongshu users who have uploaded this year's DSE exam papers online.

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority said its preliminary investigation showed that the posting of the paper was made public after the examination ended and therefore did not affect its confidentiality.

Police said they are highly concerned about the case after receiving the report from the exam authority on Tuesday, and officers from the Wanchai District crime investigation unit arrested Lau on Wednesday for breaching the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Ordinance.

According to the ordinance, every person who has been appointed by the HKEAA, including DSE exam personnel, "shall preserve and aid in preserving secrecy with regard to all matters ... in the exercise or performance of any duty or function."

Violators face up to six months in jail and a HK$25,000 fine.

The HKEAA said it has reminded all exam personnel that it is strictly prohibited to reproduce or publish the content of exam papers in any format without its approval. "If it is confirmed that any examination personnel have contravened the confidentiality regulations, stringent follow-up actions will be taken," the authority said. "If the related actions involve suspected unlawful acts, they shall be reported to the relevant law enforcement agencies."

The case came to light after the Facebook page Edu Lancet, created by Hans Yeung Wing-yu, former HKEAA assessment development manager, wrote on Monday that Xiaohungshu user "Ms Lucy" posted photos of DSE English listening paper online, and a caption read "the invigilation of the ENG Paper 3 exam has completed."

Ms Lucy's account profile claimed the user to be a secondary school Chinese teacher who had obtained an undergraduate degree at Hong Kong Shue Yan University and a master's degree at the University of Hong Kong. The account also offers education consultancy services and online tutorial.

But Edu Lancet said on Wednesday that all content had been removed from the account, with a banner saying: "This user has been banned due to violation of relevant community rules."

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com