Latest news with #students
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Cross-border top scorer ‘excited' about Hong Kong DSE success, as AI a hit among students
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP's journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Students across Hong Kong are learning their results on Wednesday for the city's muniversity entrance exams. Both parents and their children will be hoping for the best as they find out scores for the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE), which grades most subjects on a seven-level scale from 1 to 5**. This year, 55,489 candidates signed up for the exams, a 10 per cent increase from the 50,591 last year. Most of them, or 45,328, were school candidates. The figure marked a 5 per cent increase from the 43,160 who signed up for the exams last year. The other 10,161 students were private candidates, up 37 per cent from the 7,431 in the last edition, partly due to the increased number of takers living in mainland China. Students who achieve level 5 in a subject are graded as 5, 5* or 5**. Level 5** is awarded to the highest-scoring 10 per cent of candidates, with 5* allocated to the next 30 per cent and 5 for the rest. There are a total of 16 top scorers from 14 schools this year, with a male student achieving the highest results among the batch after securing 5** for four electives, three core subjects and the extended maths module, in addition to an attained grade in citizenship and social development. Ten male and five female students scored a perfect 5** across six subjects this year, with an 'attained' result in citizenship and social development and 10 of them were 'super top scorers', as they also earned a 5** for the extended elective maths module. Reporting by William Yiu, Emily Tsang, Leopold Chen, Lynn Zhang, Lorraine Chiang, Kathryn Giordano, Timon Johnson, Yohji Lam, Ellie Yau, Hannah Wang, Connie Wong and Nora Mankel More from our coverage:
News24
3 hours ago
- Health
- News24
What students eat: I conducted a survey at a South African university's cafes – the results are scary
University students have limited spending money and their schedules are packed. Many are adapting to new lifestyles on campus. Eating a healthy diet is crucial: a poor diet leads to reduced concentration, lower grades and increased stress. Campus cafés, especially at universities that are some distance from supermarkets, often sell mainly fast food such as white bread sandwiches, hot chips and doughnuts. It's easy to eat on the go, but places nutritious choices out of reach. I'm an urban geographer who researches the relationship between food, health and place. My work examines how urban agriculture, informal food systems and everyday urban infrastructures shape well-being, sustainability and spatial justice in African cities. Research has already found that through pricing, menu design and information provision, campus cafés play a decisive role in shaping dietary behaviours among young adults. I wanted to find out how students at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa choose what to eat when they're on campus, what they see as healthy food and what stands in the way of them buying nutritious meals. READ | Can food order and vinegar hacks help manage blood sugar? The university is one that was underfunded during apartheid. Until 1994 it primarily taught students who were Black and people of Colour. Today, it serves about 23 000 students, many of whom are drawn from low-income backgrounds, and has few supermarkets within walking distance. The campus cafés are a key food supply area for students. My research found that at the University of the Western Cape, only 32% of the food offered at the student café was healthy. It also cost more than the fast food. The students I surveyed knew healthy food was important. But only a small minority consistently chose nutritious meals. Nearly 40% of the group reported that the healthy options were too expensive. Sandiso Phaliso/GroundUp When students face the twin challenges of financial hardship and inadequate access to affordable, nutritious food, this deepens inequality. It also undermines their efforts to succeed. Even worse, it can cause students to develop long term, unhealthy eating habits that damage their health. Unless affordability, availability and awareness of healthy food choices are addressed together, students will struggle to eat well and to perform at their best. Universities must implement targeted food subsidies, introduce clearer nutritional labelling, and expand healthy menu options to make nutritious eating more accessible and appealing to students. Students speak out about their food choices I conducted a survey that sampled 112 students in five campus cafés at the university. These cafés are mainly used by students in the 18-24 age group. My survey revealed that 75.9% of students considered healthy offerings at least 'somewhat important' when choosing where to eat. Yet only 6.3% always selected nutritious options; 28.6% rarely or never did so. Meanwhile, 38.4% of students described nutritious meals as 'expensive' and another 8% found the healthy options 'very expensive'. My research also found that University of the Western Cape students ate very little fruit and vegetables. Just 41% of the students I surveyed ate two or more servings a day and 9.8% admitted they ate none. I also did a detailed menu audit at one café to see what was on the menu. I found that only 32.6% of 46 distinct items met basic 'healthy' criteria (they were low in saturated fats and made up of whole-grains or vegetables). The majority of students (55.4%) had not noticed any campus healthy-eating campaigns, but agreed (57.1%) that balanced meals boosted academic performance and overall well-being: I feel much more focused and energetic when I eat well, which helps me do better in my studies and feel healthier overall. Only a small handful of the students said they could afford healthy campus café meals: I choose cafés based on food quality. If the food is fresh and tasty, I'll pay more, but it needs to be worth it. What needs to happen next High prices for nutritious items, narrow menu selections and barely visible information about nutrition are preventing students from eating healthy foods on campus. Campus café offerings tend to mirror the broader inequities of national and global food systems. Food environments of big institutions like universities can prop up food inequality, even if these universities are committed to social justice. Universities should adopt these steps to make healthy food available to students: Subsidised meal plans and discounts: Introducing a tiered subsidy for students from low-income backgrounds would directly reduce costs. For example, meal vouchers could make salads, whole-grain sandwiches and fruit bowls as affordable as a pastry or soft drink. A wider range of food on the menu and smaller portions: Partnerships between university caterers and local cooperatives or farmers could expand the range of fresh produce. Smaller portions or 'light' meal options could be sold at lower prices to suit tighter budgets. Regularly rotating healthy specials and clearly labelling ingredients and calories would help students become accustomed to choosing healthy meals. Visible nutrition campaigns: Digital and printed standout posters about healthy foods could be placed around campus. Universities could hold social-media challenges and pop-up tasting events. Integrating simple tips into lecture slides or student newsletters would also help by repeatedly exposing students to healthy food tips. Peer-led workshops and cooking classes: These should be arranged to empower students to take ownership of their diets and learn about budgeting, meal planning and quick, nutritious cooking skills. Peer facilitators can demystify healthy eating and create a supportive healthy eating community. Seeking feedback: To see if their healthy food campaigns are working, universities should survey students, and analyse sales data from the cafés to see what's being eaten. They should get feedback from students through focus groups that identify emerging needs and ensure that campaigns and projects reflect the realities of students' lives. My research suggests that by tackling cost, choice and communication together, universities can transform their cafés from sites of compromise into engines of student well-being. Such interventions would unlock academic potential and set young people on healthier life paths. This is an outcome as enriching as any degree.
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- General
- Associated Press
National Higher Education Nonprofit Launches Creative Commons Photo Library to Reflect the Realities of Today's Students
Indianapolis, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Complete College America (CCA)—a national nonprofit on a mission to raise postsecondary attainment in the United States—today announced the launch of the Complete College Photo Library, a free public collection of Creative Commons photography featuring authentic images of today's college students. The library showcases the wide range of student experiences and campus settings across the country—including community colleges, HBCUs, regional universities and workforce training programs—highlighting how many of today's students are balancing college with jobs, family, and other complex real-world responsibilities. 'College students are more likely to be working learners, parents, veterans, first-generation college-goers, and professionals seeking to upskill, rather than the full-time, residential, straight-from-high-school archetype depicted in the majority of media and publications on higher education,' said Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva, president of Complete College America. 'The way we depict students—regardless of the medium—has to evolve beyond the outdated stereotypes of the past. This project is about shifting the visual narrative to match the realities.' For decades, the prevailing narrative about higher education in media and public discourse has focused narrowly on traditional, four-year residential colleges and the experiences of students in their late teens. At the same time, recent data from the Common App shows a sharp increase in students who are financially independent, many of whom are returning to college later in life. Nationally, more than one in four students (26%) is raising a child while pursuing their education, and roughly 40% of undergraduates are over 25. Research also shows that today's students attend a broad range of institutions – over 40% of students enrolled in postsecondary education attend community colleges , HBCUs enroll 10% of all Black students in the U.S., and Hispanic Serving Institutions enroll more than 65% of all Hispanic undergraduates. To help produce a more complete picture of the lived realities of today's students, Complete College America invited institutions from across the nationwide CCA Alliance to apply for participation in the inaugural cohort of a new storytelling and visual identity initiative. Through this process, the organization selected seven partner campuses and coordinated a series of multi-day, on-campus photo shoots to create a national library of high-quality, authentic imagery. 'Colleges and universities today are shaped by the unique experiences, backgrounds and identities of our diverse student bodies -- it's what strengthens and binds our community together,' said Eric M. Friedman, President at Bergen Community College. 'Serving as one of the flagship colleges in the Complete College America Photo Library not only speaks to the tapestry of cultures at Bergen Community College, but how those many identities enrich our institution and how we provide visibility for our community members to the entire society.' The result is the newly-unveiled photo library, which now includes nearly 1,000 curated, professional-quality images featuring a wide range of students in real college and workforce settings across the country. The images were captured by renowned photojournalist and photographer Allison Shelley, who traveled to each campus to capture authentic students and scenes. All images are free and accessible for use by all through a Creative Commons license, which ensures that journalists, institutions, policymakers, funders, and advocates will have access to these materials. The initial cohort of institutions selected to contribute to the Complete College Photo Library includes Bergen Community College, College of Northern New Mexico, College of Southern Nevada, Salish Kootenai College, Pasadena City College, Tougaloo College, and the University of Indianapolis. Complete College America invites media outlets, freelance journalists, education organizations, and researchers to explore and use the new Complete College Photo Library. The collection features authentic, high-quality images that reflect the diversity and experiences of today's college students. Visit to explore and share. ### About Complete College America: Complete College America (CCA) is a bold national advocate for dramatically increasing college completion rates and closing institutional performance gaps by working with states, systems, institutions, and partners to scale highly effective structural reforms and promote policies that improve student success. To learn more about CCA, visit Attachment Complete College Photo Library Media Relations Complete College America (317) 829-0483 [email protected]
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong students must remember grades aren't everything
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification I refer to the article , 'Tuition and music: how Hong Kong's pupils got into their first-choice secondary schools' (July 8). I am happy for these children who got into their preferred schools, and for their parents. It's results day for the Diploma of Secondary Education exams today, and we're going to see more stories of laughter and tears as a new cohort reaches another academic milestone. If students' dreams come true, I'd like them to remember this is just the beginning of a new journey. There will be happy times and challenges ahead, and you may even get disappointed with your dream school because it's not perfect. But you will need to learn to overcome these setbacks. To the students and parents who are unhappy with the results: it's not the end of the world. Seize the opportunity to appreciate the school you end up in, where you may make new friends, meet great teachers and learn new things. To all students: while trying your best at school is important, it's equally important to enjoy childhood, enjoy the process of gaining new knowledge and learn to be a good person.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
TDSB launches new program to help students transition to high school
Toronto Watch John Musselman reports on a Toronto District School Board summer program that helps students explore high school courses and earn credits before Grade 9.
