EDUCATION
156
gaining acceptance and in the 1999-2000 school year, it was adopted by 531 primary schools, or 62 per cent of the total.
The secondary curriculum aims at promoting students' all-round development, helping them to become well-balanced and responsible individuals. The secondary curriculum prepares students for further education or employment where appropriate, beyond Secondary 3 or Secondary 5. It offers a diverse range of subjects: 47 are currently available at junior secondary and 43 at senior secondary levels. The sixth form curriculum prepares students for further education, employment and adult life. There are 19 subjects at the Advanced Level and 20 at- the Advanced Supplementary Level. To prepare students for future challenges, relevant information technology competencies have been incorporated into various subject syllabuses. The Curriculum Development Institute offers short courses and seminars to help teachers implement and become familiar with the various curricula.
For cross-curricular studies in areas such as civic education, moral education, drug education, environmental education, sex education and AIDS education, the CDC provided teaching guidelines and support materials to schools. These are integrated into various subjects in the secondary curricula. The Guidelines on Civic Education which have been implemented since September 1996 aim to enhance students' understanding of the Basic Law and the concept of 'One Country, Two Systems', and to instil in students a sense of belonging to the HKSAR, identity with China and undertaking of the global community. Emphasis continues to be placed on promoting students' critical thinking. In the 1998-99 school year, a new subject of civic education was introduced at Secondary 1 to 3.
A school-based remedial support programme has been implemented to support secondary schools with a high intake of academically low achievers. These schools are given greater flexibility and additional manpower to provide remedial services for their students. Support services are also provided to secondary schools on matters relating to student discipline.
Special Education
The main policy objective is to integrate children with special educational needs into the community through co-ordinated efforts by non-government organisations with government support.
Early identification of special educational needs is important. Screening and assessment services identify hearing, eyesight, speech and learning/behaviour problems among school-age children so that appropriate follow-up action can be taken and remedial treatment given before the problems develop into handicaps.
Children with special educational needs are integrated into ordinary schools as far as possible. They are placed in special schools only when their handicaps are such that they cannot benefit from the ordinary school programmes. In June, 82 visually- impaired, 845 hearing-impaired, 158 physically handicapped and 336 mentally handicapped students were integrated into normal schools, with the help of support services from the Education Department.
Special education classes in ordinary schools cater for visually-impaired, hearing- impaired children and children with learning difficulties. Services for children integrated into ordinary classes include school-based or centre-based intensive