CO129-603-2 Education Department- revised grant code 5-4-1948 - 6-1-1949 — Page 118

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Terms of Reference & Procedure.

General Principles

Compulsory Subjects

A. C. E. C. (OT) (48) 3

COPY OF REPORT, DATED FEBRUARY 18TH, 1948, SUBMITTED TO THE CHAIRMAN, LOCAL EXAMINATION SYNDICATE, HONG KONG.

The Sub-Committee appointed by the Syndicate to consider the revision of the conditions governing the School Certificate Examination has the honour to submit the following report.

1.

The Sub-Committee was appointed in September 1947 for the purpose of considering, and making recommendations with regard to, (a) the revision of the regulations and syllabuses for the

examination generally; (b) possible modifications, not involving alteration of

syllabuses, which could be introduced immediately, interim measures for the current year 1947 48.

and

Heads of participating schools were invited to express their views and those of their staffs. We have to acknowledge with thanks the many valuable criticisms and suggestions which we received from this source.

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Having first reached full agreement on the broad principles which should govern the examination, we proceeded to consider in detail the more immediate question (b) above.

Our recommendations on this point were presented in a previous memorandum.

The present report deals with the permanent structure of the examination.

2.

We consider that the essential and primary function of the School Curtificate Examination is to set standards of performance, in subjects of educational value, by which the attainment in those subjects of a child approaching the end of his school career may fairly be assessed.

We do not consider it part of the function of the examination as such to dictate in any degree the curriculum to be followed in schools; nor to impose on them any pre-determined conception of the relative value and importance of the subjects taught.

or for

Again, the use of the examination as a test of qualification for further educational progress, entrance to a career, is, though important, nevertheless in our opinion an independent and secondary consideration, which should not be allowed to obscure the main purpose of providing simply an objective test of positive performance, however limited this may be.

The actual certificate to be awarded should, we consider, incorporate not only a record of performance in specific subjects, as assessed by the examination; but also a summary of the pupil's school record, including out-of-class activities of various kinds; object of the whole being to present as true an indication as possible of the capacity, attainment and interests of the child as shown in his school career.

3.

the

We have given careful thought to the question of compulsory subjects, and have considered closely the probable effects ·

(a) of reducing the number required;

(b) of widening groups, while still retaining a

compulsory selection from given groups; and

(c) of retaining English alone as a compulsory subject.

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