EDUCATION
Secondary 3. The senior secondary curriculum aims to prepare students for education beyond Secondary 5 as well as for employment, and offers a range of subjects from which schools and students may select according to the needs and interests of the individual, school traditions and the facilities available. Most students sit for the HKCEE at the end of Secondary 5.
Teaching syllabuses are prepared by the Curriculum Development Council for all subjects offered at secondary level, while examination syllabuses for senior secondary subjects are prepared by the Hong Kong Examinations Authority. There is close co-ordination between the two bodies, and syllabuses are kept under review and revised as necessary to meet changing needs. During the year, new syllabuses for additional mathematics, and travel and tourism were developed; and the syllabuses for computer literacy, physics, social studies and typewriting were revised. Travel and tourism, which will be examined in the HKCEE in 1995, was introduced as a pilot scheme in 27 grammar, technical and prevocational schools in September.
Since 1992, all sixth form courses last two years and offer students a broader range of subjects at advanced and advanced supplementary (AS) levels. In September, AS-level music was introduced as a new subject, bringing the number of subjects available to 22 at advanced level and 18 at AS-level. Under the Incentive Award Scheme recommended by the Chinese Textbooks Committee, 10 sets of reference books in Chinese, covering five sixth-form subjects, were published in September with government assistance totalling $9.1 million. F
To help teachers implement the new sixth form curriculum, and to make them more familiar with syllabuses, teaching approaches and strategies, the Curriculum Development Institute and the Advisory Inspectorate offered short courses and seminars. The institute conducted a seminar for principals and assistant principals on implementing the new curriculum. The department funded in-service teacher education programmes on individual AS-level subjects, mounted by tertiary institutions.
Some important aspects of education are covered on a cross-curricular basis. They include civic education, moral education, sex education and environmental education. Civic and moral education are promoted through learning opportunities in various subjects and in extra-curricular activities. Sex and AIDS education are also integrated into various subjects at primary and secondary levels, with the aim of helping students to understand sex as part of their overall personal and social development. During the year, teaching resources for sex and AIDS education were developed and issued to schools, and a regular newsletter for teachers was published. Leaflets on AIDS were issued to schools, and a booklet, Facts About AIDS, was published to help teachers and parents understand the medical, moral and social issues related to the disease. In December, a teaching kit on AIDS was issued to all primary schools, providing teachers with basic information and suggestions on learning activities suitable for primary school students.
Environmental education is promoted through relevant topics and themes in primary social studies and science; and social studies, integrated science, economics and public affairs, geography, biology, physics and chemistry in secondary schools. Extra-curricular activities also help to raise students' environmental interest and awareness.
The school library service promotes good reading habits, cultivates the ability to study independently, and supports teaching and learning in schools. All public sector secondary schools may appoint a teacher-librarian. In March, an exhibition was held on school
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