EDUCATION
Technical Institutes
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Three technical institutes are run by the Education Department. The Morrison Hill Technical Institute was established in 1969, while the other two-at Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong-were opened in September 1975.
All three have been designed and constructed to provide courses at craft and technician levels-on a full-time, block release, part-time day, or part-time evening basis. Short courses are also designed to meet specific requirements of industry and commerce.
Courses offered at Morrison Hill include mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, commercial studies, construction, and general studies. Kwai Chung Technical Institute provides courses in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, commercial studies, and clothing and textiles. At Kwun Tong, courses are available in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, printing, and clothing and textiles.
The three institutes maintain close links with industry and commerce, the Labour Department, and the Hong Kong Training Council, and courses have been designed to meet new industrial developments and technology in Hong Kong.
The capacity of each institute is about 1,350 full-time places but, since many of the students attend on a part-time day or evening basis, the actual number of students attending each of the institutes is much greater.
A fourth technical institute, at Cheung Sha Wan, is due to be completed in mid-1977-and courses will be provided in construction, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, marine fabrication, and hotel catering and tourism. Plan- ning is also in progress for a fifth institute in Kowloon Tong, scheduled to open in 1979. A wide range of courses is envisaged, including engineering, commercial studies, industrial technology, design and general studies.
Post-secondary Education
There are a number of day and evening schools offering courses of varying standards at post-secondary level. These schools do not receive aid from the govern- ment and they are run on a private basis.
Two post-secondary colleges-the Hong Kong Baptist College and the Hong Kong Shue Yan College-are registered under the Post-Secondary Colleges Ordin- ance and consequently have a status above that of a secondary school but below that of a university institution. The Hong Kong Baptist College, standing on a site granted by the government, was registered in 1970. It has four faculties-arts, business, social sciences, and natural sciences and engineering-with an enrolment of about 3,350 students. There are altogether 15 departments offering 18 major fields and three course programmes. The college has some financial support from the government in the form of an interest-bearing loan, while students of the college may apply for government-financed interest-free loans to assist with payment of tuition fees. The Hong Kong Shue Yan College was registered in January 1976.