EDUCATION
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Many primary schools operate bi-sessionally but the Government is implementing whole-day primary schooling progressively. To enable 60 per cent of primary school pupils to study in whole-day schools by the 2002-03 school year, the Government will build an additional 32 schools and convert a further 52 uni-sessional/bi-sessional schools to whole-day operation through administrative measures. The Government is planning to build more new primary schools beyond 2002 to enable virtually all pupils to study in whole-day schools by the 2007-08 school year. It will also continue to convert, through administrative measures, existing uni-sessional/bi-sessional schools into whole-day operation.
The student-to-teacher ratio is about 22:1. Since 1994, the Government has been upgrading teaching posts in government and aided primary schools to graduate level. with a view to achieving 35 per cent graduate teachers by 2001-02. About 1640 graduate posts will be created in the 2000-01 school year. By the end of the 2000-01 school year, about 27 per cent of the teaching posts in primary schools will have been upgraded to graduate posts.
To encourage good learning and reading habits among primary school pupils, the Government is providing, besides class libraries, a central library in each primary school by phases. A teacher-librarian is provided to manage the school central library and to organise library activities for the pupils. The 1999-2000 Reading Award Scheme for Primary 5 and 6 attracted 67 000 pupils from 510 primary schools.
At the end of Primary 6, all pupils in schools participating in the Government's Secondary School Places Allocation System are provided with free Secondary 1 places. Allocation is based on parental choice and internal school assessments. In 2000, 82 419 pupils took part in the allocation and 58 219 (70.6 per cent) were allocated one of their first three school choices of whom 40 861 (49.6 per cent) were allocated their first choice.
Secondary Schools
There are five types of secondary curriculum: grammar, technical, prevocational, practical and skills opportunity. The first three types of curriculum are offered in five-year secondary courses leading to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) but with different emphases to cater for students' different needs. A two-year sixth-form course leading to the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination is available. In September 2000, secondary schools offering the grammar, technical or prevocational curriculum had a total enrolment of 456 693.
Following a review, the Government is developing a new technical curriculum for prevocational and secondary technical schools for implementation from the 2000-01 school year, to keep abreast of the community's changing needs.
The four practical schools, which offer a curriculum with a practical orientation and strong guidance support, had an enrolment of 1 036 in September. They offer a three-year junior secondary education to help students develop their interest in and motivation towards studies, and prepare them for vocational training, employment or senior secondary education in mainstream schools. The seven skills opportunity schools, which offer a three-year tailor-made and skills-oriented curriculum to help students with severe learning difficulties acquire basic social and vocational skills, had an enrolment of 802 in September. The Subcommittee on Special Education of the Board of Education has completed its review on the future development of