Baptist Lui Ming Choi Primary School (Sha Tin Wai) has a reputation for being one of the top schools in the Sha Tin District. Every year, parents of children ready to start their primary school education fight tooth and nail for a prized spot – with over five hundred applications for admission submitted and just 15-20 accepted. Parents will go to just about any length to gain admission into the famous primary school, enrolling their children in Chinese, English and Mathematics tuition, also sending them to various music and physical education classes to mold them into multi-talented and well-rounded individuals. As well as creating elegant portfolios and presenting letters of recommendation, parents will also resort to writing letters to plead their case in the event of a rejection. In the end, is all this effort in vain?

In general, parents believe that the school values English proficiency above all else, when in fact the emphasis is on the child’s observational skills, critical thinking ability, hand-eye coordination, problem solving skills, emotional intelligence as well as the ability to follow instructions and self-reliance. In other words they are looking for the “reactions and responses” of the child.

1) Observation skills – Are your child’s eyes scrutinizing the surrounding objects? For example, at the play session of the interview, activities such as jigsaw puzzles, stacking cups or paper folding can be used to test their observation skills and hand-eye coordination. Principal Sit points out that during the interview some children will automatically notice the paintings hanging on the wall and point out unique points of interest that they see in the scene. These are all reflections of a child’s keen sense of observation.

2) Following instructions – Does your child listen to instructions? Will they ignore them, will they be completely unresponsive? Or perhaps even if the instruction is heard the child does not understand how to carry it out. During the interview the teacher will provide instructions to the children such as to collect the toys or follow steps to create a handcraft as a way to assess their ability to follow instructions. The results of the assessment speak for themselves. It may reflect whether the child fits the stereotypical Hong Kong household; if all the chores are performed by maids or housekeepers and they never have to clean up, then they may be at a slight disadvantage in this section.

3) Critical thinking ability – Is your child able to reason? During the interview children can choose from Chinese or English picture books to read. When asked why they chose the particular book, children with the ability to reason “Will not answer that they don’t know or because they like they book, but they will provide a specific reason!” Children who know are able to rationalize will have a particular reason behind every decision that they make. In addition, toys are provided in the interview. Some children will fight over the toys, others will be in tears as their toy are taken away from them; then there are children that understand how to negotiate with others and achieve a win-win situation. There is no doubt that the children from the latter group possess superior reasoning and problem solving skills, and have a higher probability of being accepted.

4) Self-reliance skills – During the interview process teachers are scoring the child in this area at different times during the assessment. For example, while waiting to enter the principal’s office in the administration area, a staff will observe every child’s actions. Many children will not hold onto their own bags but leave them unattended and without worrying that they may be taken by a stranger. “This is related to the lack of exposure to public situations, and is also an expression of their self-management skills.” There are children that will not greet the principal when they walk into the office for the interview, or will pick up and start playing with the toy deliberately placed by the principal without asking for permission. The principal points out that “This is not only a lack of exposure to public situations, but also a reflection of their upbringing.”

So there are no tips or tricks to apply for grade one admission. Language skills are important, but not as critical as the child’s emotional intelligence and the ability to respond. What parents should nurture is their children’s independence, self-reliance, provide greater exposure to their surroundings, reinforce the understanding of their environment, develop their self-confidence and the ability to think and respond, because these skills may be much more important. "So if there is a special type of training then it would be ‘a holistic development’.” Furthermore, the principal also pointed out that the reaction of the child during the interview is preferred over any portfolio or letters of recommendation.

 

There are no killer techniques for interviews, just four things to avoid:

1) Children wanting their parents to carry them into the interview
The Principal notes: "When we see children that want to be carried, there is a good chance that they will not be accepted.” The principal explains that these children generally need more attention from the teachers, but among the students that deserve selection, preference is given to those with good temperament and greater self-reliance, “because they will not add to the teachers’ burden.”

2) Children who often lose things
At the interview some children often forget to retake possession of their own items. This is also a reflection of a lower level of self-reliance and the lack of experience in a public environment.

3) Children that snatch toys from others during playtime
The school pays particular attention to the child’s character, whether they understand how to show control and restraint themselves when interacting with other people is also a strongly weighed criterion.

4) Overly assertive parents
During the parent interview stages, parents that exhibit domineering behavior, frequently dictate terms to the school, or also show a lack of confidence in their children are regarded as having different values from those of the school, so in general their children will not be accepted.

 

How does a highly qualified educator evaluate today’s children?

Principal Sit has been the head of the school for many years, and laments that today’s children have the tendency to understand English but not Chinese. She expressed her surprise at this year’s prospective students comprehending English storybooks better than Chinese storybooks. "Chinese and English education are equally important. I feel that it is discriminatory for parents to only focus on English but pay little attention to Chinese. According to the analysis of many educational reports, if children do not perform well in their native language then it will be difficult for them to excel at a second language. Our Chinese heritage gives us every reason to become proficient in the language.”