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EDUCATION
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Pre-vocational education is a three-year post-primary course based on roughly 50 per cent general education and 50 per cent basic practical training in at least three of the major fields of Hong Kong's industrial development. This is to avoid specialisation which is inappropriate at this level. The aim of pre-vocational education is not to provide complete skills and knowledge of a specific trade or occupation but to help young people to choose a suitable field of employment.
The students from such schools basically are given a general education together with training in manipulative skills to suit them for employment in industry. An opportunity for further training is provided in the Technical Institute
At present, there are three pre-vocational schools. Practical subjects taught include metalwork, basic electrical engineering, automobile servicing, printing (type-setting), building trades and commercial subjects (mainly for girls). These schools provide 1,240 places and six new ones are under active planning to provide an additional 5,000 places.
ADVISORY INSPECTORATE
The Assistant Director (Chief Inspector of Schools) is responsible for the inspection of all schools, curriculum development, and the maintenance or improvement of teaching standards. He is helped by the Assistant to the Chief Inspector, whose duty is to co-ordinate the work of advisory inspectors. The Chief Inspector, with the assistance of a Senior Education Officer, is also responsible for the Research, Testing and Guidance Centre. The centre, established in 1965, con- tinued to provide locally-constructed tests of attainment in mathe- matics, Chinese language and English language and administered them to pupils in Primary 3 to Primary 6. The service has been extended to cover some 702 primary schools with more than 196,000 pupils participating. The test results provide cumulative information for the educational guidance of pupils and valuable data on the effec- tiveness of courses and syllabuses.
Also under the supervision of the Advisory Inspectorate is the English Language Teaching Centre. The centre, also set up in 1965, has a sub-unit in Kowloon and during 1971 was mainly concerned with the provision of refresher courses for teachers and the produc- tion of teaching materials, especially tapes to improve the teaching of spoken English.