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Examinations
EDUCATION
In 1975 there were four local examinations for schools-one conducted by the Education Department, one by the Board of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education, one by the Chinese University of Hong Kong Matriculation Board, and one by the Advanced Level Examination Board of the University of Hong Kong.
The secondary school entrance examination selects pupils for places in govern- ment and aided secondary schools, and for assisted places in private secondary schools. It is conducted by the Education Department and an examination committee is appointed to give advice on general policy. All primary schools are invited to take part and are encouraged to enter all their Primary Six pupils for the examination. Just over half of the candidates who sat for the 1975 examination were allocated a secondary school place.
The Hong Kong Certificate of Education is primarily intended for children who have completed a five-year course of secondary education. There were formerly two examinations—the Hong Kong Certificate of Education (English) and the Hong Kong Certificate of Education (Chinese). These were combined into one examination con- ducted by the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Board, which comprises members representing participating secondary schools, the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Education Department.
The Certificate of Education examination and the secondary school entrance examination are processed with the help of the government computer, which also marks such papers in these examinations as are set in the multiple-choice format. The 'computer also allocates secondary school places to pupils who have taken the secondary school entrance examination in accordance with their results and their stated preferences.
The Education Department provides a local secretariat for various examining bodies in Britain and elsewhere and so makes available to students in Hong Kong many overseas examinations, academic and professional, at standards comparable to those in Britain. These examinations include the General Certificate of Educa- tion, which is open to both school and private candidates who hold a Certificate of Education of the required standard. If they have reached the age of 23, no entry qualification is required. Appendix 21 shows the more important overseas examina- tions held in Hong Kong and the number of candidates entering for them.
In 1975 a decision in principle was made to establish an independent Central Examinations Authority to be responsible for all major public examinations up to and including advanced levels. At the end of the year, planning was in progress to set up a Provisional Authority.
Educational Television
The Educational Television Service (ETV) covers the third, fourth, fifth and sixth years of primary education in the four basic subjects of Chinese language, English language, mathematics and social studies. The total audience is about 400,000 children
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