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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1976
EVENING COURSES AT TECHNICAL INSTITUTES HEAVILY SUBSCRIBED
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PRELIMINARY AND GENERAL STUDIES CLASSES RUN BY THE MORRISON HILL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE IN THE EVENINGS AT A NUMBER OF CENTRES IN HONG KONG, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES HAVE HELPED THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS OVER THE YEARS TO PULL THEMSELVES UP FROM A GENERAL EDUCATION AT LOWER SECONDARY LEVEL TO FORM 5 LEVEL AS WELL AS OBTAINING A QUALIFICATION AT TECHNICIAN LEVEL AND A USEFUL POST IN INDUSTRY.
THIS WAS STATED TODAY BY THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), MR. DANIEL WATERS, AT THE SPEECH DAY OF THE CONFUCIAN TAI SHING SCHOOL.
+SUCH COURSES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR AND HEAVILY SUBSCRIBED AND THEY HAVE PROVIDED A SECOND OPPORTUNITY FOR NUMEROUS YOUNG PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT CARRY ON WITH FULL-TIME SCHOOLING,+ MR. WATERS SAID.
AT PRESENT THERE ARE AROUND 4,500 STUDENTS ON THE ROLL OF SUCH CLASSES. THE AGE GROUP OF STUDENTS ATTENDING SUCH CLASSES IS FROM 12 TO APPROACHING 40 YEARS OF AGE WITH THE LARGEST NUMBER AT AROUND 17 YEARS OLD.
+ IT IS EXPECTED THAT WITH EDUCATION FOR ALL UP TO FORM 3 LEVEL ON A FULL-TIME BASIS BY 1978 THAT THE NUMBER OF PRELIMINARY (OR PRE-GENERAL) CLASSES WILL CONSIDERABLY DECREASE.
+ IT IS EXPECTED, HOWEVER, THAT THE GENERAL CLASSES RUN IN THE EVENINGS FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE COMPLETED EITHER FORM 3 OR FORM 4 IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL WILL INCREASE IN NUMBER,+ MR. WATERS SAID.
THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SAID THAT AT PRESENT 17 CENTRES PLUS THE THREE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE BUILDINGS WERE USED FOR THE RUNNING OF ALL TYPES OF EVENING CLASSES BY THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.
IN ADDITION, THE ADULT EDUCATION SECTION OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN RUNNING A NUMBER OF EVENING COURSES IN THE SECONDARY EDUCATION FIELD FOR MANY YEARS.
MR. WATERS SAID THAT THESE INCLUDED THE SECONDARY SCHOOL COURSE - A SIX-YEAR COURSE COVERING FORMS 1 TO 5 FOR THE ELEVEN TO 18 AGE GROUP - WITH AN ENROLMENT OF AROUND 3,800- A CHINESE MIDDLE SCHOOL COURSE FOR ADULTS, MOST OF WHOM ARE 18 YEARS OF AGE OR ABOVE, ABOUT 2,100 ARE ENROLLED IN SUCH COURSES AT PRESENT- AND A YOUNG PEOPLE'S COURSE COVERING FORMS 1 TO 3. ENROLMENTS FOR THIS COURSE NUMBER ABOUT 3,400.
THE ADULT EDUCATION SECTION WAS ALSO RUNNING A TECHNICAL INSTITUTE REMOVE COURSE SO THAT UNDER-QUALIFIED STUDENTS COULD RAISE THEIR GENERAL EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS AND WOULD BE ABLE TO ENTER PRELIMINARY YEAR ONE IN THE MORRISON HILL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE.
THE ASSISTANT