Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my views towards the new NSS curriculum. As a student of the first-year NSS, I feel glad and special, but at the same time, stressed.
First, the new syllabus undoubtedly has some benefits. I am so happy that I could choose the subjects I am interested in. We can have our own choices, which is very flexible. We are not forced to go to different streams and take the subjects fixed, like in the old system. This enhances our learning motivation. I am really glad about it.
Sadly, this is yet the only thing that seems beneficial. Except it, the NSS equals millions of uncertainties and heavy workload.
With a totally new curriculum, we do not have past experience to learn from. During tests or exams, we do not have past papers for practice. Facing difficult questions and formats that we are not familiar with, the results are often discouraging. This not only lowers our self-esteem but also erodes our confidence in future. To be honest, I have no idea of what will happen when it comes to the HKDSE, which is a ‘make-or-break’ test.
Moreover, with much homework and frequent quizzes, most classmates, including myself, feel the great pressure. Once I slept very late. I was surprised to see many classmates still going online in the MSN chatbox. Out of curiosity, I asked nearly every one of them why they stayed up so late. Most of the reasons were either completing homework or having revision. During tests or exams, in fact, we may even study during the small hours. We are all concerned about our performance. To many, we may be over-worried. We are indeed trying our best but suffering from huge pressure.
In my opinion, the government should provide students with clearer guidelines on what is actually happening. I will also be pleased to know more about if we fail in HKDSE, what are the alternatives to further studies lying ahead. It is true that it is unreasonable to ask the exams authority to tell us what will be examined. Yet, adequate sample papers should be provided for us as reference. So doing can comfort us and makes us feel more secure.
After all, facing the challenges, we really want to learn and excel but not to escape.
Joanne Siu Tin Wing Carmel Secondary School