6.7
The report of an informal working committee on sixth form education was issued for public comment in January 1977. The principal recommendation was that, instead of the present system under which some schools offer a one-year and others a two-year sixth form course and some students take both the Chinese University's Matriculation Examination and the Advanced Level Examination of the University of Hong Kong, there should be developed a common sixth form course leading to a common examination, which could be used for matriculation purposes by both universities. Students would opt for various combinations of major subjects and subsidiary subjects, with both kinds counting towards the grade obtained in the examination. The aim of the new system would be to broaden the range of the sixth form course while still retaining sufficient opportunities for the more specialised studies which are a necessary preparation for a university course. It is thought that this kind of course will serve the needs both of those students for whom the sixth form represents the concluding stage of their formal education, to be followed by entry to employment, and those for whom it is preparatory to a course of tertiary education. The Government is now considering which recommendations to proceed with and the timing of their implementation, having regard to the comments received, and will consult the Board of Education before final decisions are taken.
6.8
The
The Government has noted with interest that some local authorities in England and Wales have recently established sixth form colleges and, to a lesser extent, tertiary colleges, which provide sixth form, technician and commercial courses for Form V leavers. A specialised sixth form college can offer a far wider choice of subject combinations than the average school, while maintaining teaching groups of a viable size. Government does not propose to establish sixth form colleges in Hong Kong. It believes that it is possible to broaden the sixth form curriculum, as proposed in paragraph 6.7, within the school's present organisational framework while maintaining viable teaching groups, and it is not intended that the curriculum should be proliferated by the introduction of subjects that are not viable at the school level if reasonably- sized teaching groups are to be maintained. Moreover, to sever the sixth form from the remainder of the school would be a major upheaval that might have a detrimental effect on the standard of teaching in Forms I-V.
6.9
The Government attaches considerable importance to improving the quality of all stages of secondary education. The increase in the number of fully-aided and per caput grant
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