8
FSXI
XXD
Education
AN Education Commission was set up in April to co-ordinate and give consolidated advice on educational policy in Hong Kong. It was established in response to one of the major recommendations made in the report A Perspective on Education in Hong Kong by an international panel of visitors appointed by the government to conduct an overall review of the local education system.
During the year, the approved policies for all levels of education as set out in the White Papers of 1974, 1978 and 1981 continued to be implemented. Some $287.3 million in capital expenditure and $6,024.7 million in recurrent expenditure was provided for education in the government's estimates for 1984-5, representing 16 per cent of the total Budget.
The School Building Programme continued to make progress. During the year, 16 primary schools were completed, providing 33 480 places on a bisessional basis. Fourteen of these schools were located within public housing estates in the new towns or in urban areas. The first centralised primary school, established to replace small village schools in remote areas, came into operation at Sai Kung in September.
The year also saw further expansion in secondary education. Thirteen secondary schools were completed, providing 14 920 school places. Approval was given for another 11 new secondary schools to be constructed between 1987 and 1991, mainly in the new towns. The additional schools will increase the total number of secondary schools in the Secondary School Building Programme from 130 to 141, of which 110 schools have already been completed.
The Codes of Aid for Primary Special Schools and Special Classes and for Secondary Special Schools and Special Classes, which prescribe the rules and conditions under which government subsidies are granted, were replaced by the Unified Code of Aid for Special Schools in April. Improvements under the new code include an increased teacher to class ratio, and the provision of additional graduate teachers, speech therapists and para- medical staff.
In May, the government announced a further two non-graduate teachers would be provided for each standard-size government and aided secondary school, one in September 1986 and the other in September 1987. This followed the provision of two additional graduate teachers in September 1982 and a third graduate teacher in September 1983. The additional staff will enable schools to improve services in remedial teaching, pupil counselling and guidance, and extra-curricular activities which complement and reinforce the formal curriculum.
Under a pilot scheme organised by the Education Department in accordance with the government's aims stated in the 1978 White Paper on the Development of Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education, Computer Studies is now an examination subject for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and is taught at Form 4 and Form 5 † Figures should read: $934.7 million in capital expenditure and $5,913 million in recurrent expenditure.