XN000022-1972-08-04 — Page 1

PRH 7 4000091

|香港政府 GIS 新聞處

DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN

Friday, August 4, 1972

1

TARGET ALMOST REACHED FOR AIDED POST PRIMARY EDUCATION POLICY

*

The Government is nearing its goal of providing three year post-primary

courses for 50 per cent of the 12-14 age group by 1976.

This year there has been a sharp increase in the number of allotted

places for successful candidates in the Secondary School Entrance Examination,

mainly through the purchasing of placcs in private secondary schools.

As more and more places become available selective stringency through

the entrance examination will be relaxed and examination questions will become

easier.

However, a spokesman for the Education Department said today that at

this stage there was no alternative to a public selective examination.

In 1971 the number of candidates in the Secondary Schools Entrance

Examination was 69,396; and 34.8 per cent of these were allotted places by the

Education Department. This year there were 79,156 candidates and a total of

34,989 places were allotted. This representa an increase of more than 10,800

places or nearly 10 per cent over last year.

The ultimate goal of the scheme is to provide three-year post-primary

education for 100 per cent of the 12-14 age group.

In fact, the spokesman said, the Government is now giving active

consideration to implementing the plan as soon as it can be achieved.

This can be done by buying more places in private secondary schools as

well as the building of more schools whose sponsors will receive capital subsidy

and recurrent assistance from the Government.

/2

Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191