62
EDUCATION
third-year courses now cover the whole range of academic subjects. In September 1975 there were 1,357 students in the two-year courses, 114 students in the third- year courses, and 1,838 trainees in the in-service training courses.
Technical teacher training is provided at the Hong Kong Technical Teachers' College which is also administered by the Education Department. The college is tem- porarily housed in government primary school premises, but it makes use of facilities at the Morrison Hill Technical Institute.
The college trains technical teachers for the technical institutes, secondary schools and prevocational schools. Several types of courses are offered. The one-year full-time course is intended for mature people who are well qualified and experienced in a technical field and decide to take up technical teaching as a career. The two-year full-time course accepts secondary technical school leavers who have a genuine in- terest in and a desire to serve technical education.
=
The college also provides in-service courses of teacher training. The two-year in-service technical teachers evening course improves the techniques of those teachers who have not received any formal teacher training. The part-time day-release in- service course in design and technology gives refresher training to serving teachers of technical or related subjects. The industrial trade instructors courses, offered both in part-time day-release and in the evening, aim to improve the instructional technique of supervisors and instructors employed by industry.
Adult Education
Adult education is provided by the adult education section of the Education Department through the Evening Institute, the Evening School of Higher Chinese Studies and 14 adult education and recreation centres.
The Evening Institute offers seven types of courses which constitute the whole educational ladder for adults from literacy level to secondary studies. Rural fun- damental classes and general background education classes are organised to provide fundamental and elementary education with special reference to adult needs and interests. Practical background education classes teach woodwork and housecrafts- including cookery, sewing and knitting. A three-year young people's course provides additional training with a practical bias for primary school leavers who do not anticipate further education at senior secondary level. There are two types of academic courses at secondary level: a five-year middle school course for adults; and a six-year secondary school course-in both English and Chinese-for adolescents who have obtained satisfactory results in the secondary school entrance examination but failed to gain admission to day secondary schools. These courses lead to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education examination. There is also the teachers' course providing additional in-service training in art, music, handwork, woodwork, teaching of English in primary schools, teaching of modern mathematics in lower secondary schools, gymnastics, rebound tumbling, folk dance, oriental dance and modern educational dance. Most popular are the English courses at various levels, and during the past year 189 classes were conducted for more than 5,000 students.