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programmes, slides, library books, teaching kits, magazines and journals. Seminars on sex and AIDS education were also organised to help strengthen sex education in secondary and primary schools. An AIDS corner with a collection of pamphlets, teaching resources, video programmes, books and board displays was set up to supply teachers with up-to-date information from local and overseas sources. Publications such as the Sex Education Resource Catalogue and Chess Games on Puberty were published and distributed free to all visitors at the centre.
The Field Studies Centre in Sai Kung was well patronised by Secondary 6 and 7 students and secondary school teachers pursuing ecological and geographical studies. Thirty-one residential ecology and geography field courses were organised for a total of 1 400 Secondary 6 and 7 students. In-service training courses and seminars were held for 530 biology and geography teachers to acquaint them with methods and techniques used in field studies. The centre was also used as a venue by various educational institutions to run activities related to field work and environmental education for students and student teachers.
The Hong Kong Teachers' Centre
The Hong Kong Teachers' Centre, the first multi-purpose centre of its kind in Hong Kong, was established to promote continuous professional development and a greater sense of unity and professionalism among teachers. An Advisory Management Committee, set up to formulate the policy of the centre, will comprise 63 members appointed by the Director of Education. Of these 60 (including the Chairman) will be nominated from professional groups, such as teachers' unions and associations, school councils, and sponsoring bodies of schools and teachers. Since most of the members of the Advisory Management Committee will be practising teachers, the Hong Kong Teachers' Centre will be largely run by teachers for teachers.
Visual Education
The Visual Education Section's Audio Visual Resources Library makes a wide range of audio-visual aids available on free loan to schools. The stock includes 16 mm films, video-cassette tapes, filmstrips, slides and transparencies, filmloops, learning packages and cassette tapes. The section's Media Production Services Unit in Canton Road is open seven days a week to help teachers produce teaching aids. The facilities of the unit include photographic, reprographic, graphic, model making, tape duplicating, booklet binding, picture preservation and screen printing equipment, a video system and a microcomputer system. During the year, 6 400 teachers used the facilities of the unit and 123 courses and workshops on the production of audio-visual materials were organised, with a total attendance of 2 460 teachers.
Physical Education
The Physical Education Section is responsible for improving teaching standards in physical education in schools and for promoting school sports, outdoor education camps and dance. In 1988, 34 courses and seminars in physical education were conducted for 1 200 teachers. The 24th Schools Dance Festival held in January attracted 253 secondary, primary and special schools with nearly 4 000 participants. In April, over 1 800 students from 169 school dance teams selected from the Schools Dance Festival took part in 10 performances at the City Hall, Tsuen Wan Town Hall and Sha Tin Town Hall.
During the year, 363 courses and 12 competitions in various sports were successfully conducted. Of these, the Summer Sports Scheme for Schools and the Schools Summer Olympiad held in the summer holidays were the highlights.