Diocesan Boys' School to Offer Three University Pathways in Education First
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong's prestigious Diocesan Boys' School (DBS) is set to become the city's first school to offer three distinct university pathways after securing approval from Cambridge International Education and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority for the International Advanced Level (IAL) curriculum. Headmaster Ronnie Cheng Kay-yen announced the initiative at a Primary One admission talk on Saturday, stating the school is awaiting the Education Bureau's final green light before launching the new option in 2027. The school joins a broader trend of Hong Kong families seeking alternatives to the local Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination system.
Key Points
- Diocesan Boys' School has 1,400 secondary students and 900 primary students who will access the three pathways
- Form Three students in the 2026-27 school year, commencing Tuesday, can choose between DSE, IB, or IAL curricula
- Hong Kong public universities admitted 4,401 non-DSE students in 2025-26, a 63 percent rise from 2,706 in 2019-20
- DSE exam taker numbers declined 7 percent from 12,355 to 11,503 over the same period
- Samuel Chan Sze-ming of Britannia StudyLink noted DSE shows weakness in overseas university applications
Why It Matters
The growing preference for international curricula reflects shifting parental priorities as Hong Kong families weigh global university competitiveness against traditional local examination preparation, potentially reshaping the city's educational landscape .
The growing preference for international curricula reflects shifting parental priorities as Hong Kong families weigh global university competitiveness against traditional local examination preparation, potentially reshaping the city's educational landscape .