EDUCATION
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Since 1997, mainstream schools have been encouraged to adopt a whole-school approach to supporting students with special educational needs or with a mild. disability. In the 2002-03 school year, 116 mainstream schools adopted this approach and supported 614 target students.
In September 2002, there were 62 special schools of which 19 provided boarding facilities. In the 2002-03 school year, special schools provide about 8 900 day places and over 1000 boarding places.
It is considered that gifted students also have special educational needs. To develop their potential, a Three-tier Approach has been adopted to foster the provision of a school-based gifted education service at the levels of school-based whole class, off-site support measures, and school-based pull-out programmes, i.e. programmes that are conducted outside the regular classroom, for exceptionally gifted students. The Fung Hon Chu Gifted Education Centre develops various resource packages for use in schools in support of the school-based provision of gifted education.
Vocational Education and Technical Training
The Vocational Training Council (VTC) provides publicly funded courses at nine campuses of its Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) and 18 training and development centres. Separate levy-funded authorities also provide industrial training for the clothing and construction industries.
At the craft level, the IVE continues to offer courses in various disciplines to students who have completed Secondary 3 education. The number of craft-level graduates in 2001-02 was 582 full-time, 1 601 part-time-day and 1 150 part-time- evening. The enrolment of craft-level students in 2002-03 was 1 825 full-time, 3 286 part-time-day and 2 745 part-time-evening.
The VTC continues to run Foundation Diploma (FD) and Certificate in Vocational Studies (CVS) for Secondary 5 and Secondary 3 school leavers, respectively. Together, these two alternative study routes provide 5 590 year-one places in 2002-03.
The nine IVE campuses provide the bulk of vocational education at technician and higher technician levels through diploma and higher diploma courses grouped under nine broad disciplines that cover most major economies in Hong Kong. From 2002-03 onward, the IVE also offers two-year higher diploma courses for Secondary 7 leavers. The overall number of IVE graduates in 2001-02 at technician and higher technician levels was 10 445 full time, 1 546 part-time day release and 5 156 part-time evening by mode. The enrolment for 2002-03 was 24 383 full-time, 2 635 part-time day release and 19 860 part-time evening.
In response to the Government's initiative to increase post-secondary education provision from 30 per cent to 60 per cent for the relevant age groups within 10 years, the VTC set up its School of Business and Information Systems in 2001 to run self- financed full-time higher diploma programmes. In 2002-03, the school offered a total of 800 places.
Besides the offer of pre-employment industrial training to new entrants to the labour market, the 18 training and development centres under the VTC also offer upgrading training for in-service personnel at craft, technician and technologist levels. Some 84 815 full-time and part-time places were available during the year for both school leavers and people in employment. Trade tests were offered to workers for a range of trades.