-
17
15-16 age group living in the New Towns.
Sufficient places
for these children will, if possible, be provided in
Government and aided secondary schools in the New Towns.
The full achievement of this goal will require a further 57
new schools in addition to the 53 schools in the present
New Towns building programme and the 12 existing schools in
the New Towns, i.e. there will be a total requirement of 122
secondary schools (12 existing; 110 to be built).
3.13
Outside the New Towns, there are areas (notably in
Kwun Tong and parts of the New Territories) in which there is
an existing shortage of secondary school places. This will
be accentuated by the adoption of the new targets. It is
estimated that by 1983 a total of 51 extra new secondary
schools will be required in areas other than the New Towns.
Thus, altogether, 161 new secondary schools will be required
for the whole Colony. see Table II_7
Fees
3.14
Since the 1965 White Paper on Education Policy, free
primary education has been introduced in Hong Kong. This step
was only possible when there were sufficient places available
in Government and aided primary schools for all children of
primary school age. It might, therefore, be argued that it
would be consistent to introduce free education in junior
secondary forms when there are sufficient places in these
schools for all pupils, but the Government is not prepared
to accept such a commitment. Nevertheless, the Government
believes that no child should be denied secondary education
solely because of the inability of parents to pay school
fees. It is, therefore, intended that the present system
/of