HONG KONG - The Education Bureau clarified on Saturday that it has not deployed any staff member to join the history subject's moderation committee of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority.

It made the statement in response to a media report which claimed that the bureau knew the questions of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination before the commencement of the examination and had set up a trap to frame others.

The bureau expressed deep regret over the media report, as it has seriously undermined its integrity.

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According to the bureau's records, a teacher it employed had already been invited by the authority to serve on the relevant moderation committee in his personal capacity before joining the bureau.

After employment, the teacher applied for outside work to continue his duties in the moderation committee.

Due to the confidentially protocol, the staff member concerned did not and cannot disclose the content of the examination questions to anyone, including his colleagues in the bureau.

In the past two years, the bureau repeatedly requested to nominate staff to join different subjects' committees. But the authority decides on the acceptance of nominations, duties to be assigned and at which stage a member would be involved in setting and moderating questions.

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In 2019, the bureau nominated a staff member to join the moderation committee of the history subject, but no officer was invited. The bureau has also asked to join the moderation committees of other subjects.

The bureau pointed out that even if a staff member is invited to serve as a member of a committee, they should abide by strict confidentiality and must not disclose the content of the examination questions to others, including those in the bureau.

The controversy this time is about the appropriateness of the HKDSE history examination questions.

The bureau urged all sectors to face up to the relevant issues together and not to be deliberately misled or have their attention diverted.