2
EDUCATION AT THE CROSSROADS
established the principle that expansion of school education would henceforth be through the aided sector wherever possible.
There was considerable consolidation and enhancement of educational provision in the 1960s and early 1970s: for example, improved programmes of teacher education were introduced in the Colleges of Education, with the re-structuring of initial training courses and their extension from one year to two years, and with the introduction of third-year courses in selected subjects; the Advisory Inspectorate was expanded and its range of advisory and supporting services greatly extended; development programmes were in- troduced for special education; the Curriculum Development Committee was formed; the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination was re-organised to allow greater flexibility in the choice of language used by candidates; a regionalised administrative system was introduced in the Education Department to secure closer liaison with schools; and an educational television service was provided for primary schools (with progressive extension to the secondary sector at a later stage). T
The 1965 White Paper stated that the final aim of any educational policy must be to provide every child with the best education which he or she is capable of absorbing, at a cost which the parents and the community can afford.' With the achievement of the primary education target in sight, it was possible to improve on the recommendation that between 15 and 20 per cent of those completing the primary course should receive subsidised secondary education. In 1970 it was decided that a further major expansion of secondary education was necessary, and steps were taken to increase the provision of subsidised secondary education to a total of 50 per cent of the Forms I-III age group. By 1971 free primary education was available to all.
The 70s and 80s
In 1974 a White Paper affirmed the ultimate objective of a place for all children of the appropriate age who qualified for and wanted a secondary school education. Meanwhile, the public (subsidised) sector was now to be expanded to accommodate all children in the 12-14 age group for the first three years of secondary schooling, and sufficient places in senior secondary forms in the public sector found for at least 40 per cent of the 15-16 age group by 1979. The 1974 White Paper was thus a blueprint for secondary education over the next decade. The target was nine years of general education for all by 1979, i.e. six years in a primary school followed by three years in a secondary school. All children should follow a common course of general education throughout these nine years. It was also intended that there should be a significant expansion of places for those wishing to continue their education thereafter. The target of 1979 was subsequently brought forward one year, and it was announced that from 1978 all primary school leavers opting for public-sector places in secondary schools would be provided with three years of junior secondary education which would be free. All children in Hong Kong could now look forward to at least nine years of free education, all of it to be compulsory as a further safeguard.
With the introduction of universal free junior secondary education it was possible for the 1974 White Paper to envisage a more appropriate system of allocation to replace the Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE) with the emphasis on allocation rather than selection. It was also decided that on the conclusion of the nine years' general course of education there should be a form of selection by which 40 per cent of the 15-16 age group would progress to senior secondary forms, with places provided in 'grammar' and technical streams at the ratio of 6:4. The government then turned to a consideration of senior secondary and tertiary education, and after extensive public consultation issued a White