EDUCATION
93
government school. Some 5,159 students now receive awards of this nature. There are 1,544 private schools.
Expenditure by the Education Department from August 1963 to July 1964 is summarized in Appendix XXVI. In government and government-aided primary schools, fees are kept as low as possible and 10 per cent of all places are reserved for the free education of poor children. In government and aided secondary schools between 30 per cent and 45 per cent of the places are free.
VOLUNTARY EDUCATION AND WELFARE WORK
Missions of various denominations, charitable bodies and Kai Fong Welfare Associations organize grant-in-aid and subsidized schools, and sponsor boards of management for non-profit-making schools. Kai Fongs also provide free education for poor children. The British Red Cross Society organizes hospital schools for crippled children. Schools for the deaf, for the blind and for lepers, orphan- ages, and homes for maladjusted children are all provided by various welfare organizations while the Po Leung Kuk provides free schooling for homeless young women and children in its care.
MUSIC AND ART IN THE SCHOOLS
The Schools Music Association, which has a membership of 3,898 this year presented 11 concerts by local and visiting artists to its student-members. The Annual Schools Musical Festival was held in February and attracted a record of 4,917 entries. With over 300 classes the festival ranks as the largest of its kind in the world.
The practical examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music were held from September to December. The number of entries rose to 3,578, maintaining the Colony's distinc- tion of having the second highest number of candidates throughout the 32 countries of the British Commonwealth served by the Board. There was a total of 1,253 candidates for the theory examinations, and the practical and theory examinations of the Trinity College of Music attracted 40 entries.
During the year, collections of paintings by Hong Kong school children were sent overseas for exhibition. These included the Council on World Tensions international project in Bombay, in