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EDUCATION
In addition to these duties of supervision and control, the department plays a major role in educational planning and development, to ensure that approved policy objectives are achieved. Through its Advisory Inspectorate, the department provides advice to schools on teaching methods, and plays an important part in curriculum development. Other major aspects of the department's work include the provision of educational television, im- plementation of the school building programme, the allocation of school places, and educational research.
There are 17 educational districts, each headed by a Senior Education Officer whose function is to supervise the administration of schools within the district, to provide advice and assistance to schools, teachers, parents and students, and to act as a channel of communication between them and the department. These officers also attend District Board meetings to assist in discussions on educational matters.
Expenditure
The annual estimate of expenditure for educational services in the financial year beginning in April 1989 provided for $1,335 million in capital expenditure for educational projects and $11,714 million in recurrent expenditure, representing 16.6 per cent of the total budget.
Kindergartens
Pre-school education for the 3-to-5 age group is provided in privately-run kindergartens. In September 1989, 201 750 children were enrolled in 791 kindergartens, of which an increasing number are run on a non-profit-making basis. Such kindergartens are eligible for rent and rates rebates, and may be allocated premises in public housing estates.
In October, the government announced measures, based on advice in the Education Commission's Report No. 2, for improving the standard of kindergarten education. The most important measures were for the department to encourage operators to meet targets for standards of staffing and to pay staff according to a recommended salary scale, for teacher training courses to be made more accessible, and for the fee assistance scheme for needy parents to be simplified and taken over by the Education Department from the Social Welfare Department. In November, a working group including non-official members was appointed by the Secretary for Education and Manpower to monitor the improvements already approved and to consider possible further measures.
Officers of the department inspect kindergartens and offer professional advice to school managers, teachers, parents and the public. For basic professional training, a two-year, part-time day-release course leading to qualified kindergarten teacher status and a 12-week, part-time evening course leading to qualified assistant kindergarten teacher status are conducted by the Grantham College of Education. An identical 12-week, part-time day-release course is operated by the kindergarten section of the Advisory Inspectorate of the department. Additional training centres are being planned in convenient locations.
The department's kindergarten section also organises seminars, workshops and exhibitions to help heads and teachers raise their professional standards. During the year a series of curriculum development materials was produced to help teachers in planning educational activities. A booklet, Guidelines for Physical Play, in both Chinese and English, was compiled for issue to schools in 1990.
Primary Education
Primary education has been free in all government schools and in nearly all aided schools since September 1971. In the few aided primary schools where fees are charged, the fees