Arrangements for change in result reporting systems of HKDSE Category C Other Languages subjects announced
The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (May 21) the arrangements for the change in result reporting systems of Category C Other Languages (OL) subjects with effect from the 2025 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination. The results attaining specific examination grades/language proficiency levels of the OL subjects will continue to be accepted as meeting the entry requirements of relevant civil service grades.
According to the new arrangements for Category C OL subjects (French, German, Japanese, Korean and Spanish) announced by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) in 2022 for the 2025 HKDSE Examination and onwards, candidates should take the stipulated language examinations administered by the respective official organisations in Hong Kong. Their results obtained at the stipulated examination grades/language proficiency levels or above will be included in the HKDSE Examination Category C results and reported on the HKDSE certificates. For details, please refer to the HKEAA website (www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/HKDSE/assessment/subject_information/category_c_subjects/).
In response to the change in the result reporting systems of the OL subjects, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) accepts, from the 2025 HKDSE Examination results release day (i.e. July 16) onwards, the specific examination grades/language proficiency levels attained in the OL examinations (Note) as meeting the requirements of "Level 2/Level 3 in one of the five subjects in the HKDSE Examination" for civil service non-degree grade appointment purpose. Regarding the OL results obtained in the 2024 HKDSE Examination or before, the existing acceptance arrangement will remain unchanged. For information about the recruitment of civil service jobs, please visit the CSB website (www.csb.gov.hk/english/recruit/7.html).
An EDB spokesman said the Government has long been offering the OL subjects as elective subjects at the senior secondary level to enable students to fully develop their potential and nurture a new generation with global vision and multilingual abilities, thereby further strengthening Hong Kong's distinctive advantage of having strong support from the motherland and maintaining close connections to the world.
Note:
Specific examination grades/language proficiency levels of HKDSE Category C OL subjects refer to:
- A2 or above (i.e. A2, B1, B2, C1 & C2 (highest)) in French/German/Spanish;
- N3 or above (i.e. N3, N2 & N1 (highest)) in Japanese; and
- TOPIK II Grade 3 or above (i.e. TOPIK II Grade 3, 4, 5 & 6 (highest)) in Korean.
Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire
The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:
Financial and welfare support
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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3.4 billion as of noon today (December 13). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $3.7 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.
Accommodation support
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As of this morning, a total of 1 392 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 3 163 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS).
In consideration of the extremely urgent situation of the residents affected by the fire incident, a special arrangement of a full rent exemption has been made earlier by the Housing Bureau to provide accommodation support to those affected residents moving into transitional housing or HKHS projects. In other words, if needed, the affected residents can stay for a longer period of time. The Government will continue to support the affected residents in terms of accommodation, and the residents in need do not have to worry about the relevant rental expenses or the duration of stay.
In addition, staff from the operating organisations of transitional housing and HKHS, as well as volunteers have been working around the clock to furnish the units with essential supplies. Taking Eminence Tower in Hung Shui Kiu as an example, each unit is equipped, upon move-in, with furniture and appliances such as bed frames, mattresses, pillows, cooking stoves and water heaters. Daily necessities including toilet paper, slippers and basic cleaning supplies, etc. are also provided. Such efforts are intended to help the affected residents settle in as quickly as possible.
At the same time, a number of organisations have proactively stationed their staff in some projects to provide residents in need with various forms of support, including free medical and legal consultation services. The Government has also set up service stations in 18 projects where more residents have moved in, providing consultation and support services for residents in need, standing together with them.
Relief supplies and donations
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The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received over 1 800 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, about 19 600 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.
Regulation and inspection work
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The Housing Department today continued to remove the burnt scaffolding on the external walls of Wang Cheong House, Wang Tai House and Wang Sun House. As the environment at scene is narrow and the scaffolding and the protective nets of individual buildings may be subject to more serious damage, for the sake of safety, the Housing Department will conduct assessments with the Police on the timetable of removing the scaffolding of the remaining four affected buildings. In addition, the Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau has also completed the extraction of concrete core samples from the seven affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court today.
The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced on December 11 a new mechanism for sampling and testing scaffold nets for external walls in Hong Kong. The Buildings Department is preparing for the issuance of a new practice note to registered contractors and will meet with the industry next week. The DEVB is moving ahead in full steam the supporting arrangements to ensure that there are sufficient designated laboratories and a suitable site for off-site sampling work.
Source: AI-found images
