54
EDUCATION
second language. A number of Chinese middle schools also offer a one-year sixth form matriculation course to prepare students for entrance to the Chinese University of Hong Kong. For those who obtain satisfactory results in the Certificate of Educa tion examination, higher education is available at the colleges of education, the technical institutes, the Polytechnic and other post-secondary-type colleges.
There are 16 secondary technical schools, 15 of which offer a five-year course with instruction in English and with Chinese taught as a second language. Nine of the schools are government, five subsidised and two private. Their total enrolment is 11,385. Like the Anglo-Chinese grammar schools, they prepare their pupils for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education examination and suitable candidates can continue their studies in Form VI or at the technical institutes, the Polytechnic or the Technical Teachers' College. Five subsidised secondary modern schools with an enrolment of 3,774 offer a three-year secondary course with a practical bias. There are also nine private and eight subsidised secondary schools with a total enrolment of 6,500 which offer some form of technical and trade training not leading to the Certificate of Education examination.
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There has been a steady increase in the number of pupils enrolled in all types of day-time secondary schools. In September there were 359,196 such students, compared with 336,980 the previous year. During the school year 14,465 new secondary places were provided in new school buildings. A total of 90,574 pupils entered the first year of secondary school. This represents the promotion of 80.1 per cent of the pupils completing primary schools. Of these pupils, 42.9 per cent were awarded government, government-aided, or assisted places.
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Under the terms of the 1974 White Paper on secondary education, the govern- ment's aim is to provide, by 1979, at least three years of aided secondary education for all children in the 12-14 age group. The interim target of providing places for 50 per cent of the age group by 1976 was achieved in September 1975 by providing the extra school places either directly in government or aided schools, or in private non- profit-making assisted schools, or by giving fee supplementation to pupils in suitable private independent schools. For the 1975-6 school year, 28,535 pupils have been awarded three-year assisted places on the results of the secondary school entrance examination. These places are being taken up in various private non-profit-making and private independent schools.
It is also the government's aim to provide, by 1979, aided secondary places for 40 per cent of the 15-16 age group. The interim target, set for 1976, is to enable 18 per cent of the 12-16 age group to be awarded places for aided secondary courses leading to the Certificate of Education. In September, 99,064 such places, representing provision for 18.1 per cent of the 12-16 age group, were available.
Prevocational Schools
Prevocational schools, which are all fully subsidised by the government, provide a three-year post-primary course consisting of about 50 per cent general education and 50 per cent technical and practical education. The syllabus usually covers three major fields of industrial or commercial activity to ensure that students are introduced