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The new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) has now gained recognition by UCAS (University and Colleges Admission Service) in the UK. This means that students who are studying within the local system in Hong Kong can apply for a degree place in the UK and their secondary qualification will be assessed in a way that is standardized and fair. Students will know how many tariff points they will receive for a particular grade in a subject, thus making it possible to predict the grades they will need in order to qualify for entry to particular courses in particular universities.

The assessment received from UCAS suggests that the HKDSE can be confidently thought of as equivalent to UK A -levels, as, in the past the HKALE was equivalent to the UK A-level. This will be very pleasing to parents and students alike.
Under the tariff points system adopted by British universities, a certain number of points are needed as an entry requirement for a course. These points are dependent on the type of course, as well as the quality of the university. Each grade level attracts a certain number of tariff points. The recently released assessment of the HKDSE shows that the points the qualification attracts are strongly in line with those awarded to grades in the UK.

There might, however, be a couple of minor issues with this assessment. It has been believed in Hong Kong that it is more difficult to achieve an A grade in HKALE than in UK A levels. If this belief is still held about theHK DSE, then giving virtually equal status to an A grade in Hong Kong and the UK still might not address this imbalance. Also, the majority of UK universities often stipulate that students should receive at least a C grade at GCSE English (and sometimes Maths) as a requirement for entry. At the moment, HKCEE is seen as an equivalent to the GCSE so students with an HKCEE grade of C or better in English are able to apply to a UK university. Those without a GCSE or HKCEE are assessed on a case by case basis or are required to take a language exam such as IELTS. Now the HKCEE is being phased out, the IELTS exam will become more common.

The assessment by UCAS is an important step for the HKDSE. Parents who were worried about the problems facing the 2011/ 2012 cohort in terms of university entrance in Hong Kong, should now feel another option has been opened for them, since the UK will find the new qualification as acceptable as the one it is replacing.

For more information Visit:- HKDSE explained

For more information visit:- Options for an International Education in Hong Kong

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By Bill Costello

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to visit a private school. The ISF Academy is located within the Island South district of Hong Kong Island. It offers a unique language program wherein students attain fluency in both English and standard Chinese by the end of grade 12.

As an American educational researcher, the purpose of my visit was to research school choices for expatriate families living in Hong Kong.

The waiting list to get into the ISF Academy is long, as is the case with most private and international schools in Hong Kong. Most expatriates choose to send their children to private or international schools; very few send their children to local schools. There are several reasons for this.

First, gaining entry into local schools is difficult because of the rigorous assessment system. Once enrolled, the learning environment is intensely competitive.

Second, most local schools use Cantonese as the medium of instruction—though a change to the language instruction policy will take effect in September allowing secondary schools to switch to English medium or adopt a mixed approach. Expatriate children who do not speak Cantonese find it extremely difficult to integrate into the current local school system.

Third, the curriculum provided by local schools does not prepare expatriate students for the learning environments they will face after graduation if they decide to attend overseas universities. Some expatriate parents feel that exposure to the international system at the primary and secondary level is the best way to prepare their children for a similar system at the tertiary level.

Expatriate families are not the only ones who prefer private and international schools over local schools. More and more local families are also coming to that conclusion because of globalization, rapid economic development in mainland China, and a variety of other reasons.

Malcolm Pritchard, principal of the ISF Academy, said: “The intention underlying the international schools is that they should cater to the needs of the very large expatriate community. The reality is that a lot of local families feel that international schools offer a broader range of curriculum choice, and therefore, you will find local students in international schools.”

For the past several years, Hong Kong has been one of the world’s fastest growing markets for international schools. The robust growth has been driven by increasing numbers of expatriate families moving to Hong Kong.
According to the Education Bureau, there are currently 51 international schools in Hong Kong.

Despite high tuition fees and the recent global financial crisis, the waiting lists to get into private and international schools are still long.

This is presenting a dilemma for professionals with families who are sent abroad by their companies to work in Hong Kong, and it’s a deterrent for companies trying to recruit them. Many foreign professions who are not able to enroll their children in a Hong Kong school choose not to relocate there.

In order to boost the competitiveness of Hong Kong as a destination for talented expatriates, the government plans to expand its pool of international school places. In the meantime, expatriate families will continue to struggle with waiting lists.

For expatriates who want help with the difficult process of searching for schools in Hong Kong, the ITS Tutorial School offers a school placement consultancy service.

Anne Murphy, director of training for ITS Corporate Training, offered this
advice: “The process of choosing a school for your child can seem extremely daunting, but we believe that early preparation and planning can help make a well informed choice.”

Principal Pritchard offered similar advice: “It would be prudent to contact schools well ahead of the transfer time to ascertain if there are any vacancies, what the entry requirements are, and to get your name down early.”

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Bill Costello, M.Ed., is an education columnist and blogger. He visited ITS on Dec 14, 2009.
He can be reached at www.makingmindsmatter.com

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