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practical and technical education, the Education Department has submitted
proposals for a pilot project to be launched by which a fully equipped
Practical Education Centre would be opened in converted school premises:
its facilities would then be made available on a shared basis to
neighbourhood schools wishing to offer courses in home economics or design
and technology.
Homework and study rooms
7.22
The Department is concerned about the amount and type of
homework set by many schools. This tends to be excessive and non-
creative in nature, encouraging a mechanical approach to learning. Apart
from the all-pervasive pressure on pupils to study hard the reasons for
this are varied: a bisessional system leaving children with time on their
hands which teachers and parents feel ought to be filled with purposeful
activity, limited recreational opportunities in housing estates, dangerous
traffic conditions, the prevalence of neighbourhood crime, etc. Homework
has become such an ingrained feature of the system that even when
conditions become conducive to a more liberal approach (e.g. all-day
schools or improved local library provision) full advantage is rarely
taken of them. The Department takes special note of homework habits
during school inspections, gives on-the-spot advice and issues guidelines
on homework from time to time. A persistent problem is the attitude of
parents, many of whom feel that a school is shirking its responsibilities
if it sets only moderate amounts of homework or work which does not
entail memorisation of fact. Changes in public attitudes towards matters
such as this tend to be very slow.
7.23
Given the inevitability of homework, the Department tries to
provide a reasonable working environment for children whose crowded or
noisy home conditions make it difficult for them to concentrate on their
studies. The Department, formerly assisted by funds provided by the
Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, runs a 'study-room' scheme during pre-