<div id="readability-page-1">Hong Kong must more than double the number of secondary school pupils studying advanced maths to ensure a sufficient pipeline of students pursuing science and technology courses at university and careers in those sectors, according to the head of a curriculum review. The government plans to review the admission score calculations for some of the universities’ science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) programmes, as well as revamp the combination of related elective subjects in secondary schools with the aim of encouraging more students to take advanced maths. Ng Tai-kai, the chairman of the Curriculum Development Council Standing Committee on STEAM education, told the South China Morning Post that many future jobs would require employees to have knowledge of advanced maths, but the number of students studying the necessary subjects remained low. “Many university STEAM programmes require students to study the two extended maths modules, commonly known as M1 and M2 … but the current number studying these subjects is far from sufficient,” he said. Mathematics is a core subject of the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE), Hong Kong’s university entrance examination. Students can choose to study extended modules in calculus and statistics (M1) or calculus and algebra (M2) if schools offer them. According to examination authorities, 9,114 students will sit for the M1 or M2 exams in the 2026 DSE, representing only 20 per cent of the total number of students taking the core maths exam. The passing rate of the M1 and M2 exams – that is, of students attaining a Level 2 grade or higher – was 88 per cent and 93 per cent, respectively, in last year’s DSE. Ng said university programmes would increasingly require students to study M1 and M2, but the number of such students had to be at least doubled to fill places in those programmes.  Ng, who is also chair professor of Thrust of Advanced Materials at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), said students who had studied M1 and M2 could have an edge in finding jobs in artificial intelligence (AI) and STEAM. Advanced maths was less popular because it was not a compulsory requirement for programmes that could lead to jobs with high salaries, such as medicine, law and business, he surmised. “Students have for the longest time believed the subjects offering them a promising future are not STEAM subjects. Most students who pick M1 and M2 do so only out of interest,” Ng said. “Some schools do not offer M1 and M2 and do not even regard them as formal electives. I think these [issues] have to be rectified to create more room for students to take M1 and M2.” He added that most teachers thought the current curricula for M1 and M2 were purely theoretical, lacking practical elements and had to be revamped if authorities wanted more students to take the additional modules. Undersecretary for Education Jeff Sze Chun-fai earlier told the legislature that the government had established an ad hoc committee to enhance the curriculum structure of science and mathematics subjects in senior forms, with the aim of getting more secondary students to take M1, M2 and science subjects. He added that the broader goal of the university admission formula review was to nurture more talent in innovation and technology within Hong Kong.  Sze, who is the chairman of the Steering Committee on Digital Education, last week also said the government would release a blueprint for digital education development in primary and secondary schools before the next academic year. The blueprint will cover the primary and secondary curricula for information technology and innovation subjects and an “AI literacy” framework, which includes enhancing AI training for teachers and AI learning for students, among other areas of digital education. Vincent Kwong Wing-sun, a member of the ad hoc committee and principal of Christian Alliance SW Chan Memorial College, said it was beneficial for students studying physics to take M1 or M2, as these modules required students to develop advanced computational thinking and related abstract concepts. “It could create a kind of synergy when students study these subjects together,” he said. Kwong said students should also be exposed to advanced maths in simpler form during lower secondary to prepare them for studying the relevant maths subjects in their senior years.</div>

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<p>Hong Kong needs to significantly increase the number of secondary students studying advanced maths to support future careers in science and technology. The Curriculum Development Council's head, Ng Tai-kai, emphasized that many university STEAM programs require knowledge of advanced maths, yet only 20% of students are currently enrolled in the necessary modules. The government plans to review university admission scores and revamp secondary school electives to encourage more students to take advanced maths. A new digital education blueprint will also be introduced to enhance AI training and innovation in schools.</p>

More advanced maths students needed for tech sector: Hong Kong committee head