Seriously, and honestly, did smart kid like Wong really expects to win? It surely succeeds in getting media attention, the unwanted and undesirable sort of responses.
It is the norm than the exception. Many of us did not experience hand cramping half way through the paper, except those whose minds are blank, could not care less and have nothing more to write to impress the examiner?
To think that Ms Wong will be a medical doctor who has to diagnose illnesses and show care and concern for patients, is a frightening thought.
It takes more than a spoilt brat. Aggressive parents stoking fire and egging her on to fight for her God given "rights" and extract what is believed to be her legal entitlement. Excuse me, what values are we imparting to the younger generation. It is useless to have perfect academic score when one lacks the ability to reason and be contented.
Wong is not alone in this sort of manipulation for special provisions. Many private school kids have asked for some form of special consideration such as more time, teacher's assistance and conducive environment. Somehow, those who are born of more humble backgrounds are less demanding. Public school students are more likely to their naturally endowed abilities or disabilities, try to do their best and fend for themselves. That is not to say that some genuine cases merit help and flexibility. However, Wong has insulted our intelligence by pushing the limits beyond reason.
DESPITE educating just one in four students with disabilities, private schools accounted for more than half the applications for HSC exam disability provisions this year.
Eleven per cent of HSC students at independent schools sought special consideration, compared with 6 per cent of students at government schools, NSW Board of Studies figures show. Disability provisions were sought by 8.1 per cent of HSC candidates in the Catholic system.
Private school students at a number of Christian schools, Anglican colleges and other high-fee schools successfully applied for special provisions at more than three times the rate of their public school counterparts.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/private-students-most-likely-to-apply-for-hsc-special-consideration-20111207-1ojbs.html
The story : Quote :
AFTER achieving a university entry rank of 99.95, winning fifth place in the state for chemistry and a place at the University of Sydney studying medicine, the former Abbotsleigh student Sarah Hui Xin Wong believed she could have done better in the HSC.
Sarah's mother, Eileen, lodged complaint after complaint to the school and to the Board of Studies since Sarah completed the HSC in 2008, arguing her daughter was discriminated against.
Yesterday, Ms Wong lost her appeal against a decision by the NSW Board of Studies not to grant her special examination provisions in the form of a computer and extra exam time for the 2008 Higher School Certificate.
She took the Board of Studies to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, claiming she was unlawfully discriminated against on the ground of disability.
Ms Wong, now 21, said the board failed to adequately accommodate her joint hyper mobility of the wrist and hand during her English advanced and modern history exams.
She was granted rest breaks during the exams. She was also offered the use of a writer, who would take down her dictation. However, she chose not to use this option.
Ms Wong scored a university entry rank of 99.95 and is studying a combined degree in science and medicine at the University of Sydney. She came fifth in the HSC chemistry exam when she was in year 11 in 2007.
However, she told the tribunal she believed if she had been granted a computer or extra time, she would have achieved much higher marks.
The tribunal found Ms Wong failed to establish her claims of discrimination and dismissed her complaint.
The tribunal said it was not satisfied that without a computer, Ms Wong was unable to perform to her ability in the same way that persons without her disability could have done.
Ms Wong has been ordered to pay some of the Board of Studies' costs, including a proportion of the fees of the leading Sydney barrister Chris Ronalds, SC.
Earlier this year she told the Herald the board's failure to grant her additional ''special provisions'' meant that she was not fairly tested.
''The point isn't that I was doing badly. I did do well, what a normal person would consider well,'' she said. ''But you want your disability to be sufficiently addressed with special examination provisions so that everyone has a capability to communicate what they know in the HSC examinations, otherwise it is not a fair test of your knowledge.
''Marks were lost often towards the end of the paper where my hand fatigued and I wasn't able to complete the paper. My writing became illegible and my hand was cramping.''
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