EDUCATION
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and the Council - have been restructured to include members independently appointed by the Governor from the sectors of commerce, industry and education.
During the year, proposals were submitted to the government for a five-year phased programme to redevelop the campus which the college has been occupying since 1966.
The college offers three-year post-Advanced Level courses covering 17 disciplines and leading to the award of the honours diploma. There are four faculties: Arts (with departments of Chinese language and literature, English language and literature, and music and fine arts); Business (with departments of accounting, business management, economics, and secretarial management); Science and Engineering (with departments of biology, chemistry, civil engineering, mathematics, and physics); and Social Sciences (with depart- ments of communication, geography, history, social work, and sociology).
Students are full-time and admitted on the results of the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination. Demand for places is high, and for the 1984-5 academic year the ratio of applicants to places was 8:1. At the beginning of the 1984–5 academic year, student enrolment in the post-Advanced Level courses totalled 2 090, with a breakdown by faculty of: arts 364, business 616, science and engineering 388, and social sciences 722. Staff strength stood at 344 - comprising 162 teaching, 56 administrative, and 126 technical, secretarial and clerical staff. Senior academic and administrative staff are recruited by international advertisement. At the end of the 1983-4 academic year, 558 students graduated with the honours diploma.
Enrolment in the Division of Basic Studies, which is financed by government grants through the Education Department and offers a full-time integrated two-year programme leading to the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination or the International Baccalaure- ate Examination, has continued to be reduced, as part of the planned phasing out of the division to allow further development of the post-Advanced Level courses. At September 1984, the enrolment figure was 289, including 38 first-year students taking a specialised course in music which will be the only course retained in the Basic Studies Programme after the 1984-5 academic year.
Since the completion of the new library building in September 1983, library facilities for students and staff have expanded and collection development has remained a top priority. Library holdings reached 134 608 volumes and a programme to automate the library services is being started. A valuable collection for supporting research work in con- temporary China was acquired through a private donation.
The college serves the community through helping to meet the growing demand for education by people in employment and offers, in its Division of Continuing Education, a broad spectrum of courses which are professional, vocational, and of general or cultural interest. The division is financially self-supporting, and besides using the campus for classes in the evening, it also maintains additional centres on Hong Kong Island and in Sha Tin for day and evening courses. A total of 26 865 students were enrolled in 884 courses in the division during the year.
Vocational Training
To meet increasing demand for skilled manpower, opportunities for vocational training are being expanded to give more people the opportunity to acquire skills and knowledge in a wide and ever-growing range and level of jobs.
Much of this effort is the result of the activities of the Vocational Training Council which was set up in 1982 under the Vocational Training Council Ordinance. The council's role is to advise on measures required to ensure a comprehensive system of technical education