Furore over DSE exam question misses the point of teaching students history

Learners are meant to understand context and assess many sources, not just repeat facts from class

Raising new generations of critical thinkers is essential to a better future for students and Hong Kong

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Teachers of Chinese history hold a press conference to respond to the controversial exam question from a recent Diploma of Secondary Education history paper at the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union office in Mong Kok. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Kerry Kennedy

Kerry Kennedy is professor emeritus and adviser (academic development) at The Education University of Hong Kong.

Published: 9:00am, 22 May 2020Updated: 9:32am, 22 May 2020

Now, in Hong Kong, not only must you have the “right” answer to questions, you must also learn to ask the “right” questions. If you do not, then it seems the government can intervene and strike out your question.

This is a possible outcome of the current controversy concerning the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) history exam in which students were asked about Japan’s contribution to Chinese development in the first half of the 20th century. The question was undoubtedly a complex one: “Japan did more good than harm to China in the period 1900-1945. Do you agree?” It was accompanied by some secondary source material that sought to show Japan’s support for China during these years.

The answer was not dictated but left to students’ knowledge of the period and the weight they might give to the secondary sources to provide an answer. Students needed to think critically about both the secondary sources and the knowledge they had of Japanese imperialism and its effect on China over a long period of time.