EDUCATION
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secondary schools. Up to June 1991, 35 460 members had gained awards under the CYC Merit Award Scheme. During the summer holiday, 19 outstanding primary school members visited Singapore, and 24 secondary school members visited the USA.
Of the 20 operating authorities of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme in Hong Kong the Education Department's is the largest, with 27 500 members from 183 participating schools. Over 148 training courses and functions at bronze, silver and gold levels were organised during the year.
The Sister Schools Scheme started in 1981 under the auspices of Lions Club International District 303. Ordinary and special schools are matched to promote social interaction and friendship among students. In 1991, 42 special schools and 50 ordinary schools were made sister schools, and about 20 000 pupils took part in activities sponsored by the scheme.
The successful launch of a school drama project in 1990 led to the development of a territory-wide School Drama Festival in 1991 to encourage primary and secondary schools to present plays in either Chinese or English. A School Drama Council was formed in April, with members from various government departments and theatre groups interested in school drama. The 27th Schools Dance Festival in January attracted 2 342 students from 152 primary schools, while 879 students from 79 primary school participated in the School Dance Winners' Performances in April.
Sport in schools is promoted mainly through the Schools Sports Council, which during the year organised Jing Ying competitions in table tennis and badminton to identify talented young players at an early stage. Interport competitions were held in swimming, athletics, basketball, table tennis and badminton. These competitions, held annually between Hong Kong, Macau, Fuzhou and Guangdong, are highlights of the school sports scene.
Pupils from 222 primary schools took part in the 1991 Summer Youth Programme for Schools, sponsored by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club. Total expenditure amounted to $2.1 million. About 4 700 primary pupils took part in the Learn-to-Swim Scheme, and over 18 000 students from 153 schools attended outdoor education camps subsidised by the department.
Special Education
The main policy objective of special education is to integrate the disabled into the community through the co-ordinated efforts of the government and voluntary agencies.
Early identification is an important preventive measure. Screening and assessment services identify special educational needs among school age children so that appropriate follow-up and remedial treatment can be given before the problems develop into educational handicaps. Under the combined screening programme, all Primary 1 pupils are given hearing and eyesight tests. Teachers are provided with checklists and guides to help them detect children with speech problems and learning difficulties. Children requiring further assessments are given audiological, speech, psychological or educational as- sessments at the Special Education Services Centres, or are referred for ophthalmic advice.
Children identified as having special educational needs are as far as possible integrated into ordinary schools. They are placed in special schools only when their handicaps are such that they cannot benefit from the ordinary school programme. There are altogether 62 special schools (including a hospital school) for the blind, deaf, physically handicapped,