4.
2
In October 1978 the Government published a further White Paper, putting forward proposals for the development of senior second ry and all stages of tertiary education, thus increasing and improving the opportunities available for further study upon completion of the nine-year basic
course.
5.
Reviews of primary education and of the care and education services for children below primary school age have recently been completed. The resulting proposals will be published in a Green Paper early in 1980.
5。
Total Government recurrent expenditure on education rose from $694 million in 1972-73 to about $1,950 million in 1979/80 and is estimated to rise to over $2,900 million by 1986/87. Over 1.4 million people are now undergoing some form of full-time or part-time education - about 30% of the total population.
7.
The Education Department is concerned with the provision of primary and secondary schools, technical institutes, colleges of education and adult educi tion centres. Some of these institutions are operated directly by the Government, and others are run by voluntary organisations with Government subventions. These two categories constitute the public sector. Other schools are run on a private basis. The University and Polytechnic Grants Committee advises the Government on all matters concerning the financing of the two universities and the Polytechnic, each of which is an autonomous statutory body.
Pre-primary Education
8.
In september 1979, 192,517 children were enrolled in 765 kindergartens registered under the Education Ordinance. All kindergartens are privately operated but the Government provides indirect assistance by granting land to sponsors, reimbursing non-profit-making kindergartens for payment of rates, allocating kindergarten premises in public housing estates to suitable sponsoring bodies and providing advisory services and in-service training courses for teachers.
Primary Education
9.
Attendance at primary school for 6-11 year olds is compulsory and the Director of Education has powers under the Education Ordinance to enforce school attendance if a child is withheld without reasonable excuse. There are provisions for appeal to a Board of Review.
10.
Most schools operate bisessionally, and the maximum class size is 45, although the average is 37 in Government and 36 in aided schools. Total primary enrolment was 55,545 in September 1979, including 472,738 children in the public sector.