144 Education
some 18 000 students with special educational needs were studying in public sector primary and secondary schools. There were 60 special schools, nineteen of which have boarding facilities. Together, they provided around 8 400 school places and 1 000 boarding places for students with severe special educational needs or multiple disabilities.
The Government also helps gifted students to develop their capabilities through. different programmes. The Government has set up a thematic support network on gifted education consisting of 52 schools to facilitate sharing of experiences and
resources.
Much progress was made on the setting up of the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education in 2008. By September, the key components of corporate governance, strategic and operational planning, identification of delivery functions. and staff recruitment had been completed. The Academy has begun delivering services to its main stakeholders: students, parents, teachers and researchers.
Project Yi Jin
Some 10 000 full-time and part-time students joined the Government's Yi Jin programme in the 2008-09 academic year. The programme was launched in 2000 to provide an alternative route to continuing education for secondary school leavers and adult learners. Successful completion of the programme earns the student a qualification comparable to five passes in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education. Examination for employment and continuing education purposes. The programme is run by member institutions of the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions and has both full-time and part-time modules.
Drawing on the success of the project, the Yi Jin/Secondary Schools. Collaboration Project was introduced to 10 secondary schools in 2004. As at September 2008, 520 students in 13 secondary schools were taking part in the project.
Vocational Education and Training
The Vocational Training Council (VTC) is a statutory body established in 1982 to provide a comprehensive system of vocational education and training for school leavers and adult learners. It helps them acquire the values, skills and knowledge for lifelong learning and enhanced employment.
The VTC provides a range of quality, internationally recognised full-time and part-time courses varying from those designed for craftsmen to those for students. seeking higher diplomas. They are offered through the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, the School of Business and Information Systems, the Hong Kong Design Institute, the Institute of Professional Education and Knowledge, the Youth College, training and development centres and skills centres for people with disabilities. It also provides services such as the administration of the apprenticeship scheme, trade testing and certification.
The VTC provided some 180 000 full-time and part-time places during the 2008-09 academic year.