Not long after returning to school, Hong Kong secondary school students are feeling study pressures once again.Not long after returning to school, Hong Kong secondary school students are feeling study pressures once again.
A post on local Facebook student forum, Secrets, asked whether the pressures of studying are pushing Hong Kong students to their limit.
“I have entered into Form 4 and I have seen many other students leave elsewhere to study. That begs the question: is there a problem with the Hong Kong education system? Why are schools driving students to leave?” said an anonymous guest writer.
“Is studying really that important? There are lots of people who do study hard for a better future – I do the same. But is it really worth the pressure we feel?” asked the post. “We are only students, why do we need to face constant pressure to do well all the time?”
Another commenter, Icc Hin, accepts the harsh reality. “It is what it is – we are living in Hong Kong. If we had the chance, we would’ve instantly gone abroad to study,” said Hin.
In October 2016, a survey conducted by Chinese University found out among the 710 residents aged 18 or older interviewed, 38.9 per cent said they would emigrate if they had the chance.
Another commenter agreed with the post, “Hong Kong’s education system has a serious problem.”
Another comment disagrees that the education system is the problem. “It isn’t necessarily the education system – some people believe they can widen their horizons if they study abroad. Students don’t go that far for just for the sake of studying.”