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English Works

Letter to the Principal

5D Lau Hiu Sze

Dear Mr Ng,
The Proposed Smart Card Scheme

I am writing to respond to the Student Smart Card Scheme you have proposed. The
scheme can make school life simpler, but there are some drawbacks as well. So I want to talk
about both the advantages and disadvantages of the scheme.

First of all, the scheme is efficient for attendance taking. Everyone has the Octopus card
now, so our school has been using the card for attendance taking. It can avoid mistakes made
by students and staff. Students’ attendance is accurately recorded by the computer. It can also
reduce the manpower in the general office for record updating.

However, the proposed smart card is more than just an Octopus card. It can be used
to control access. Students and teachers can use the card to enter special rooms, such as
the Music Room, in which only choir members and marching band members are allowed to
use after music lessons. Another example is that only students taking Physics can enter the
Physics Laboratory, and other students have no access to these rooms.
Furthermore, the card can keep records of students’ exam grades, contact details and
medical records. In case of emergency, the school can get contact details and contact parents
or seek appropriate medical treatment immediately. Students can also easily check past exam
records when necessary.

However, the card has some disadvantages as well. Firstly, it stores a lot of personal
information. In case of missing, data may be disclosed. The data taken may be used in illegal
ways, for example, online shopping.

And if the card is missing, the value in the card may be used. Students may lose more
money if the card has the function of auto debiting. Thieves may use it for shopping and it is
not possible to have the reimbursement.

Another drawback is that it may cause access control problems. Taking the smart cards
from our students, unauthorized people may enter special rooms, and they may steal or break
something. This may become a security problem for the school. Therefore, our school needs
to address this concern before launching the scheme.

All in all, I believe that the smart card scheme is convenient to students and teachers
despite the disadvantages, so I am in favour of the implementation of this scheme.

Yours sincerely,
Chris Wong

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