7
!
Comparison of findings
6.6
The findings of the 1977 and 1979 groups are compared below:
On social demand
6.7
The view was taken that the demand for tertiary education
would be strongly influenced by the demonstrated demand for Form IV
places and that this could be represented by the "pull-through" rate
between Primary 6 and Form IV. This was only 53 per cent in 1976 but
the rate had increased to 66 per cent by 1979. The proportions of the
appropriate age groups attending Form V and VI (both public and private)
had also increased by 1979 - viz:
Proportions of
age group (and
number attending)
1977
1979
Form V
55% (61,000)
60% (69,000)
Form L/M VI
15% (16,000)
16% (19,000)
Form U VI
5% (5,800)
6% (7,500)
6.8
An attempt was made to examine figures relating to Hong Kong
students proceeding overseas for further education, including students
U.S.A.
known to be leaving Hong Kong each year for overseas studies in Britain,
Canada and Australia during the period 1972-78, together with
the cumulative number of students in Britain each year during the same
period. It was not possible for a variety of reasons to obtain entirely
reliable statistics but on the face of it the figures then available
suggested a steady growth in the first half of the decade in the number
of students seeking overseas education, declining in 1976-77 and picking
up again in 1978-79. The 1979 Working Group believed that the number of
such students in tertiary education during the period under consideration
had been substantial but noted that it had not been possible on the basis
of information supplied by overseas authorities to determine the proportion