EDUCATION
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referees provides impartial advice. In 1995-96, the council received a record 888 applications and disbursed $275.7 million in earmarked grants for academic research. During the year, the RGC and the British Council again jointly sponsored the United Kingdom-Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme, aimed at strengthening existing links between local and British institutions.
The Vocational Training Council
The VTC advises the government on measures to ensure Hong Kong has the benefit of a comprehensive system of technical education and industrial training suited to the territory's developing needs. It also administers technical colleges, technical institutes, training centres, skills centres for the disabled and the statutory apprenticeship scheme. Industrialists, academics and government officials comprise its membership.
Under the VTC are 20 sector-specific training boards and eight general committees. The training boards determine the manpower needs of the economic sectors for which they have been established. They also prescribe job specifications, and design training programmes and trade test guidelines. The general committees deal with the training aspects which affect one or more sectors of the economy.
The Hong Kong Examinations Authority
The HKEA is an independent, self-funding statutory body, with members drawn =-from the teaching profession, tertiary institutions and the business community. It operates two local public examinations: the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) and the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE). It also offers proficiency tests in Putonghua aimed at adults. On behalf of overseas examining bodies, the authority conducts many examinations leading to academic, professional or practical qualifications.
During the year, 117 400 candidates sat for the HKCEE and 28 200 sat for the HKALE. A total of 42 subjects were offered in the HKCEE; 21 A-level subjects and 18 advanced supplementary (AS) level subjects were offered in the HKALE. The latter included two core language subjects: Use of English and Chinese Language and Culture. AS level subjects were offered for the first time in 1994 with a view to broadening the sixth-form curriculum. There was a 20 per cent increase in AS-level non-language entries compared with 1994.
The year 1995 also saw the HKCEE English Language (Syllabus B) listening test conducted for the first time using a radio broadcast. Over 106 000 candidates took the test at the same time, each bringing their own portable radio. The HKALE results of the school candidates were similar to those of 1994, with the percentage of awards at grade E and above for A-level subjects being 71.5 (70.9 in 1994). Percentages at grade E and above in the two AS-languages and non-languages AS-level subjects were 83.4 and 71.6, respectively (83.5 and 69.5 in 1994). The percentage of grade awards at grade E and above for school candidates in the HKCEE was 60.8 compared with 60.5 in 1994.
Candidates sitting for overseas examinations totalled 204 000, of whom 64 600 sat for the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry examinations, 46 600 for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and 18 500 for the Test of English as a Foreign Language.