Secondary streaming needs review

The practice of streaming secondary students early by academic performance, into Band 1, 2 and 3 schools, may prevent late achievers from blossoming. It may also disadvantage boys, as girls score better grades earlier.

Broadly, the top one-third of earlysecondary students are streamed to Band 1, the middle one-third to Band 2, and the bottom one-third to Band 3 schools. Students are “classified” by academic results at the early stage of secondary education. Several may not yet have fully developed their potential so early.

Girls generally mature earlier than boys, which together with their higher language ability, gain them an advantage over boys in second- ary school. Principals from Band 1 secondary schools have observed that they receive more female than male new students after the band- ing reform.

This gender imbalance in aca- demic performance at early secondary may even out later as the boys mature. Some of the boys allocated to lower band schools may catch up and surpass their female peers in higher band schools. The banding system could hinder and limit boys’ academic development prematurely.

The band system furthermore entrenches the rigid social stratification between the top and low-ranked schools and students. Such a system leads to severe competitive stress for parents and students in Bands 2 and 3 schools, who constitute two-thirds of the secondary population.

It could disadvantage Band 3 stu- dents in terms of self-confidence and worldview. Band 3 students suffer a negative self-image, have narrow social networks and tend to come from deprived family backgrounds. Studies find that students from low band schools tend to exhibit lower self-reliance and motivation than their peers in higher band schools.

The pressure to compete for the limited elite university places for future career prospects adds severe stress on parents and students. The depression that some students suffer in extreme cases requires urgent attention from society. We need to review the system to raise hope and ensure the well-being of our youth.

Hong Kong’s population demographics show student numbers declining in recent years, leaving Band 1 schools short. Band 2 students are upgraded to fill the quota. That raises other difficulties as Band 1 schools use English as their primary medium of instruction.

Band 1 teachers find it difficult to cope with the additional linguistic handicap, on top of the lower academic ability, of the Band 2 intake. As educationists, we need to review how to address these problems facing parents, teachers, and students. The status quo is not helpful.