Controversy lingered over an invalidated question in a DSE history exam.
Academics and students lambasted education authorities, saying they caused unease for axing it. Some even threatened legal action.
Officials maintained that they did not step in because of "political factors".
Scroll down for the full script.
(Aired on ViuTV Six on 23 May 2020)
Full Script:
Students upset with the Education Bureau's scrapping of a DSE history exam question, are threatening to challenge that decision in court.
Teachers are also crying foul.
Around 10 groups of academics and teaching staff signed a joint statement demanding an apology from the EDB.
They say the bureau's hard line is "destructive to Hong Kong's education system and culture", and brought unease to students and question-setters.
Question 2c on May 14's history exam asked, "whether Japan did more good than harm to China" between 1900 and 1945, a period covering the Japanese invasion of China.
Authorities demanded that be dropped as it could lead to answers that "seriously hurt the feelings and dignity of the Chinese people."
The exam authority HKEAA, an independent, statutory body, confirmed last night it axed the question.
(Soundbite, HONG CHAN TSUI-WAH, Deputy Secretary for Education)
"The question by design has serious flaws so it's not compatible with the history curriculum objectives and the information provided there, does not fall into the level of understanding of the students."
The education chief echoed that view and denied authorities stepped in because of political factors.
Now that the question has been scrapped, examiners will assess students on two fronts: their performance in other questions under the same historical period and how they did, for other questions.
The higher score out of the two methods would then be adopted as the final mark for the now-invalidated question.
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