Hong Kong elite schools urged to better challenge top performers

Some elite schools in Hong Kong have been criticised for failing to provide sufficient learning opportunities or challenging tasks to stretch top performers, with reviewers urging teachers to design questions and tasks with greater depth.

The remarks appeared in the Education Bureau’s External School Review reports, which assessed 68 secondary and primary institutions. Some institutions were told to better cater for learners’ diversity, including by setting extended activities for pupils who finish tasks early.

Reviewers, including bureau officers, urged teachers to set tiered tasks and higher-order questions for top performers, including through digital tools that allow self-paced advancement. They also called for adjusting lesson difficulty and adopting collaborative designs for struggling pupils.

At least six elite schools were told to do more to maximise the potential of high achievers.

Among them was Queen Elizabeth School in Mong Kok, a government secondary school known for its academic performance. It was told that its strategies for stretching the more able students remained limited and should be further strengthened.

The school’s results in the university entrance exam, the Diploma of Secondary Education, typically exceed city averages.