As the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) results release approaches, we should be asking an uncomfortable but necessary question: are we protecting teenagers’ mental health, or are we adding to the pressure they already carry?
For many students, results day is not a celebration. It is a high-stakes moment coloured by fear of disappointment, comparison and judgment. In that context, some school practices deserve urgent scrutiny. When results are announced in semi-public settings and the names of top scorers highlighted, it creates a context in which other students’ outcomes can be easily inferred within a close school community – even if they are not named. Students’ privacy can be compromised and their dignity put at risk.
This is not a trivial concern. Examination results are sensitive personal data, and schools have a duty to handle them with the highest level of care.
Equally troubling is the culture that grows around such arrangements. Ceremonies, photo opportunities, banners and staged “good news” messages may be intended to encourage students, but they can also turn results day into a public ranking exercise. Students who are disappointed or emotionally vulnerable may experience the school environment as comparative and exposing, and some activities can inadvertently pressure students to disclose outcomes on the spot.
The message teenagers receive is simple and cruel: your worth equals your score. For those who fall short of expectations, the experience can feel like a public display of failure, precisely at a time when they need calm support and clear guidance.