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EDUCATION
Kindergartens
In September, there were 787 kindergartens in Hong Kong providing pre-primary educa- tion for 229 089 children in the three-to-five year age group. These are all private institutions, though some of them are operated by non-profit-making organisations They are supervised by officers of the Education Department whose professional advice is available to school managers, teachers, parents and the public. In-service training for teachers is provided through seminars, workshops, exhibitions and training courses, including a two-year part-time course conducted at Grantham College of Education and a 12-week part-time course run twice yearly by the Advisory Inspectorate of the Education Department, with an annual intake of 240 and 360 teachers respectively. Other government assistance includes allocation of premises to non-profit-making kindergartens in public housing estates, reimbursement of rates and rents to non-profit-making kindergartens, and fee assistance to needy parents.
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During the year, five kindergarten teachers were again released from their teaching duties through the courtesy of their employers to serve on the Education Department's Kinder- garten Curriculum Development Team for the production of resource materials. In January, the Manual of Kindergarten Practice was revised and issued to all kindergartens as a guide to their operation.
Primary Education
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Primary education has been free in all government schools and nearly all aided schools since September 1971) In the few aided primary schools where fees are charged, fees may be remitted for up to 20 per cent of the total enrolment in cases of genuine hardship. To help needy parents further, an annual textbook grant of up to $190 per pupil is available to a maximum of 25 per cent of pupils enrolled in government and aided primary schools(A minority of parents continue to send their children to the 94 private primary schools, although places are available for them in the public sector.
In September, the primary school enrolment totalled 534 903 compared with 536 220 the previous year. In addition, enrolment in primary-level evening schools for adults totalled 4 025. During the past year, 19 850 primary places were provided in new and developing schools and more are planned to meet the needs of developing areas, particularly in the new towns. Of the 78 173 children who took part in the third cycle of the Primary One Admission System, 45 340 or 58 per cent were allocated discretionary places in schools of their choice. The remainder were allocated places in schools in their own districts by the Education Department, also based on parental choice.
Primary 6 leavers are allocated junior secondary school places in the public sector through the Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) System. The system is based on internal school assessments, scaled by a centrally administered Academic Aptitude Test, and allocation takes into account parental choice of secondary schools. In July, 87 095 Primary 6 pupils participating in the SSPA were allocated Form 1 places in government schools, aided schools, private non-profit-making schools in receipt of per caput grants, and private independent schools in the 'bought place' scheme.
The Student Guidance Scheme provides a school social work service to 831 primary school sessions.
Secondary Education
There are four main types of secondary schools in Hong Kong: Anglo-Chinese grammar schools, Chinese middle schools, technical schools and prevocational schools. The Anglo-