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Following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) by the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, at a media session during his visit to the Tai Po Joint Admission Centre this afternoon (August 4):
Reporter: (about 20,000 qualified students failing to get a Form 6 place)
Secretary of Education: I don't know where you get your figure from, but according to my sources, there are sufficient places to absorb those who qualified for further education in Hong Kong under the existing system.
Reporter: (any encouragement to students)
Secretary of Education: I think everyone has got his own talent, sometimes it's latent, it's waiting to be dug out. So one might not succeed in a particular exam, but because of that, they might either be disappointed or on the other hand they might feel that they've got to work harder in order to succeed. I've just seen a number of examples of those who failed in previous examinations, but are now doing quite well both in their academic studies or elsewhere. I do urge everyone not to give up because of that one failure in a particular examination because there are plenty of other opportunities for them to excel, for them to do well in life.
Reporter: (insufficient Form 6 places)
Secretary of Education: As I've said, I don't believe that's the situation. There are sufficient places for those who satisfy the criteria.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:06
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