The Education Bureau has announced that schools will remain closed until April owing to the coronavirus outbreak, though Form Six public written exams will take place as scheduled.
Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung told the press on Tuesday that classes would be resumed no earlier than April 20 and the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) exam will take place on March 27 as planned. However, exams for Chinese oral, music, and physical education will be postponed to May and results will be announced a week late, on July 15.
A photo of HKDSE candidates in an examination hall. File photo: GovHK.
First detected in Hubei, China, over 80,000 people globally have been infected with Covid-19, whilst over 2,600 have died from the SARS-like disease, including two in Hong Kong.
Yeung said that the HKDSE exams were crucial to students’ higher education and employment: “With enough preparatory work and protections, we believe the HKDSE exams can safely begin on March 27 as scheduled,” he said.
When asked by a reporter if the policy of continued school suspensions was at odds with the exams taking place, Yeung said that candidates do not have social contact with each other, so there must be different considerations for different class suspension and exam scenarios.
Kevin Yeung. File photo: RTHK screenshot.
Candidates who display symptoms of respiratory infection will be prohibited from sitting the exam, Yeung said. He added that everyone should wear face masks inside the exam hall and use hand sanitizer provided by the venue.
He also added that seats would be spaced out and any candidates travelling from mainland China would need to arrive in the city two weeks prior to the tests in compliance with quarantine policies.
Distance learning
With regards to the impact of class suspensions, Yeung said distance learning at home cannot completely replace in-person classroom learning. However, with the adjustment of school events and supplementary classes, he said there was no need to shorten the summer vacation.
“Extending the class suspension has been a difficult decision. Yet as the WHO [World Health Organization] predicted, the epidemic will last for a while and the Bureau thinks it is the safest decision to ensure the physical well-being of students,” he said.
Nearly 90 per cent of students surveyed by pro-democracy group Demosisto said they felt the disease had impacted their preparations for the exams. Fewer than 20 per cent found the online resources provided by the Education Bureau useful, they said at a press conference on Tuesday. The poll was conducted online amongst 11,466 Form Six students – representing a quarter of the 2020 HKDSE candidates.
Isaac Cheng, vice-chairperson of Demosisto said that, in view of the epidemic, the Bureau should postpone the HKDSE exams for a month in the interests of students.
The Legislative Council Finance Committee passed a HK$3 billion anti-epidemic funding application last Friday with a portion covering a HK$3,500 subsidy for individual students during the suspension period.
Toronto-Dominion Bank has named new co-heads of its U.S. commercial banking business.
TD says Andy Bregenzer and Jill Gateman will jointly lead the operations.
The bank says the appointments follow the announcement earlier this year of Chris Giamo’s retirement.
Bregenzer will focus on leading all aspects of the regional commercial bank, including small business.
Gateman will lead TD’s national commercial banking effort in the U.S., including middle market, sponsor-backed finance and TD’s other specialty lending lines of business.
TD, which is working to resolve investigations into failures in its anti-money laundering program in the U.S., announced last week that chief executive Bharat Masrani would retire next year and be replaced by Raymond Chun.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
MONTREAL – Lightspeed Commerce Inc. says it is conducting a review of its business and operations including talks relating to a range of potential strategic alternatives.
The Montreal-based payments technology company made the comments after reports concerning a potential transaction involving the company.
Lightspeed says it periodically undertakes a review of its business and operations with a view of realizing its full potential.
A strategic review is often seen by investors as a prelude to a sale by a company.
Lightspeed says its board of directors is committed to acting in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders.
Company founder Dax Dasilva returned to the role of chief executive officer earlier this year and has been working to return the company to profitability.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
MONTREAL – National Bank of Canada says it has cleared a key regulatory hurdle in its proposed acquisition of Canadian Western Bank.
The Montreal-based bank says it has received the Competition Bureau’s clearance for the deal.
The transaction still requires approval by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions and the minister of finance.
Canadian Western shareholders voted to approve the deal earlier this month.
National Bank announced an all-stock deal to buy Canadian Western earlier this year in a proposal that valued the Edmonton-based bank at about $5 billion.
It has said its acquisition of Canadian Western will significantly expand its western footprint and create a stronger national competitor.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2024.
