EDUCATION
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Apart from cultural and recreational activities, the centres also offer formal education courses, both on general background educa- tion and on practical subjects. The general course is designed to provide basic education up to primary 6 standard, and the prac- tical courses are of a domestic nature. The overall membership of the nine centres in October 1959 was 20,997 and the nightly attendance at each centre ranges from 300 to 800 per evening.
Music, Drama and the Arts occupy an important place in the school curriculum and in extra-curricular activities. The Eleventh Annual Schools' Music Festival was held between 24th February and 14th March. The 2,100 entries made a new record. Mr. Maurice Jacobson, a pianist and composer as well as Chairman of the music publishing firm of Curwen's, was the adjudicator for all music classes. Mr. A. W. T. Green, Senior Lecturer in Linguis- tics at the University of Hong Kong, adjudicated the elocution classes.
Owing to the large number of entries (1958: 1,673; 1959: 1,921) the practical examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music had to run for three months, from 15th September to 15th December. Of the 1,921 candidates who sat this examination, 1,425 passed, 354 with merit and 184 with dis- tinction.
In the theory examinations there were 280 entries for March and 399 for November, making a total increase of 24% over the figures for the previous year. In the examination held in March, 380 candidates entered and 323 passed. The results of the exami- nation held in November are not yet available.
Mr. HONG Yat Pang, a violin student, won the Associated Board Scholarship awarded to Hong Kong every three years by the Royal Schools of Music and is now studying at the Royal College of Music.
During the year the Schools' Music Association presented ten concerts by local and visiting artists. In order to promote interest in Chinese Classical Music the Association invited the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chinese Music Group to give a concert. A further increase of membership (1958: 2,569; 1959: 2,684) was reflected in the excellent attendances at these concerts and recitals.
A new venture was the Chinese Orchestra formed by students of Queen Elizabeth School.