courses. A number of private technical schools supply instruction in radio, electrical, telegraphic and automobile technology, but often their teaching standard is low and their equipment poor.
Teachers are given full-time training and refresher courses at the Northcote and Rural Training Colleges. Training lasts for two years, students are given a subsistence allowance, and no tuition fees are paid. 123 teachers in training are now at the Northcote, 48 at the Rural Training College, compared with 116 and 44 in 1949.
The Rural Training College, opened in 1946, continues to achieve excellent work in the training of old and new teachers for village schools. Students live a full life, the curriculum including two hours' practical work each day in biology, animal husbandry, horticulture and farming, four hours of lectures and practical teaching, and one hour of supervized study. The College cooperative farm raises poultry, pigs, goats, cows and vegetables, and pays a 100% profit per annum. The service of college graduates is eagerly welcomed and several have started cooperative farms in their village schools. The College, however, has not yet found a permanent home.
Besides giving generous subsistence allowances for students at the training colleges, the Government provides scholarships to the University of Hong Kong where 39 students are entirely or partially maintained. One scholarship, tenable at any British or Common- wealth university, is awarded every three years. Scholarships for overseas universities are also provided under the Colonial Develop- ment and Welfare Act, by the British Council, and by the Federation of British Industries.
Although the year 1950 has witnessed many activities and considerable progress, the Colony is still faced with many educational problems, the majority of which can only be solved by increased expenditure.
In September, a scheme was put into action to register children between the ages of 5 and 12 who were without schooling. 21,906 children were registered, over 5,000 of whom have now been enrolled in special classes, and accommodation is ready for an additional 5,000. The number of children receiving schooling has increased from 117,000 at the end of 1948 to 162,000 in December 1950. The Government's ten-year plan for education envisages the opening of four or five new primary schools each year, a programme which will require the training of approximately 100 teachers annually for the first five years. Various difficulties, including the availability of suitable teachers, must be overcome before this programme can be fulfilled.
HEALTH
The Medical Department and the Urban Council are responsible for the health of the Colony.
The Urban Council is a corporate body consisting of a Chairman appointed by the Governor and ten members, four of whom are ex-officio representatives of Government departments intimately
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