政壇：睇社論學英文：補習社良莠不齊 教育局該當何罪

補習社良莠不齊 教育局該當何罪

What is EDB to blame for the varying quality of tutorial schools?

第二屆文憑試放榜，爆出歷年來最大宗公開試集體作弊醜聞。現代書院二十三名學生因在中文科校本評核抄襲，被取消整科成績，升學夢碎。涉事學生受到最大懲罰，誤人子弟的學店及監管失職的教育當局又該當何罪？

二十三名學生一起作弊，若說老師不知情、校方不知情，根本無人相信。然而，校方一味諉過涉事老師「太誠實」，又指不排除其他學校會在考評局抽查前把功課做好做靚。此舉固然有開脫責任之嫌，其實也反映天下學店一般奸，弄虛作假恐怕已是業界潛規則，或者教育局同樣知情，只是假扮糊塗。

事實上，補習業界良莠不齊，上述事件只是冰山一角。消委會曾接獲家長投訴，指補習社職員假扮中學教職員，登門要求家長付費參加打電話問功課；又有補習社為求做靚盤數，公然向考獲佳績的學生付錢買成績單，假裝他們因補習而獲取好成績。欺詐行為公然發生，難道當局可以繼續坐視不理嗎？

監管教育機構是教育局的責任，當局應趁着今次事件，全面檢討私校和補習社的營運方式及教學手法。

The results of the Second Diploma of Secondary Education （DSE） Examination have been released, uncovering the most extensive cheating scandal in public examination history. Twenty-three students from Modern College committed plagiarism in the Chinese-language section in School-based Assessment （SBA）, which led to the invalidation of their results of the entire Chinese subject, shattering their dreams to attend universities. The students involved have received the heaviest penalty. What should be done to the educational institutions which harm their students and the education authorities which are derelict in their duties?

It would be absurd to believe that neither the teacher nor the school knew nothing of the twenty-three concurrent incidents of cheating. However, the school shifted the blame to the teacher involved for being "too honest" and stated that it was possible for other school to refine their students’ works before they were randomly checked by the HKEAA. This certainly draws suspicion that the school is trying to shun responsibilities. In fact, it also reveals the shrewdness of the education business. Fraud may have become the unspoken rule in the field, and perhaps the EDB has long been aware of the situation but has pretended not to know about it.

Indeed, the varying quality of tutorial schools is only the tip of the iceberg. The Consumer Council has received complaints from parents who unveiled that the staff from tutorial centers, posing as secondary school teachers, approached parents to pressure them into paying to participate in telephone tutoring. Some tutorial schools have even openly approached students who attained good grades for their transcripts in return for money, for the purpose of creating the false picture that their success was attributable to the effort of the tutorial schools. Should the authorities continue to turn a blind eye to such blatantly fraudulent practices?

It is the EDB’s responsibility to regulate education institutions. In the wake of this cheating incident, the authorities should conduct a comprehensive review of the operations and teaching practices of both private schools and tutorial centers.

重要生字

derelict in duty 疏忽職守

shift the blame 推卸責任

in the wake of 過後