Bonus points for Higher Mother Tongue students justified

I refer to the letter “2-point concession to Higher Mother Tongue students unfair” (Feb 2).

The bonus-point criteria based on first-language scores is justified, as they are based on merit.

Those two bonus points that are awarded to Higher Mother Tongue (HMT) students come with a price.

Firstly, students have to score very well in their Mother Tongue in their PSLE, or their Mother Tongue exams in secondary levels, in order to qualify for HMT. Secondly, HMT students have to cope with the demands of the subject. They have to take additional papers (Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3, which is the Oral Communication Paper) during their GCE O-Levels.

From what I know for the Chinese language, Higher Chinese students have to take the Chinese O-levels at the end of Secondary Three and the HMT O-levels at the end of Secondary Four, while their peers do not need to handle such demands.

HMT is also not an easy subject to cope with, so it is fair for MOE to award two bonus points for HMT students that work hard and score well for HMT.

Personally, I took up HMT during my primary and secondary school days. Though taking HMT has its benefits, such as greater exposure and appreciation for the language and culture, I had to spend more time on the subject and handle a heavier workload compared with my other non-HMT peers because of the higher demands.

Based on the principle of meritocracy, the two bonus points awarded is justified.