XN000022-1976-08-13 — Page 11

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 1976

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DETAILS OF NEW ALLOCATION SYSTEM OF FORM 1 PLACES

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PUPILS ENTERING PRIMARY 5 THIS COMING SEPTEMBER WILL BE THE FIRST TO TAKE PART IN THE NEW PROCEDURES FOR THE ALLOCATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES. DETAILS OF THE NEW SCHEME HAVE BEEN RELEASED TO SCHOOLS.

THE NEW SCHEME IS TIMED TO COINCIDE WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S PLANS TO HAVE A SUBSIDISED SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACE FOR EVERY PRIMARY 6 LEAVER IN 1978, THUS ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION.

SCHOOLS WILL BE ASKED IN OCTOBER WHETHER OR NOT THEY WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NEW ALLOCATION PROCEDURE. WHERE THEY DO NOT ELECT TO PARTICIPATE, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WILL INVESTIGATE THE CIRCUMSTANCES TO ENSURE THAT NO CHILD WILL BE DEPRIVED OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO SECURE A SUBSIDISED FORM 1 PLACE.

IT IS HOPED THAT ALL PRIMARY SCHOOLS WILL TAKE PART IN THE NEW ALLOCATION PROCEDURES WHICH ARE BASED ON SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS OF THEIR STUDENTS' ABILITY AND INDUSTRY.

SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS WILL BE MONITORED BY A CENTRALLY ADMINISTERED ACADEMIC APTITUDE TEST WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE IS TO MONITOR AND SCALE THE ASSESSMENTS. IN PRINCIPLE, EVERY STUDENT FROM PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS MUST TAKE THE APTITUDE TEST IN ORDER TO MAKE THE MONITORING AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE, BUT GENUINE AND UNAVOIDABLE ABSENCE FROM THE TEST WILL NOT AFFECT A PUPIL'S ALLOCATION.

THE TEST WILL CONSIST OF MACHINE MARKED MULTIPLE CHOICE PAPERS. ONE ON VERBAL REASONING AND ONE ON NUMERICAL REASONING. BOTH PAPERS WILL BE SET IN THE MEDIUM OF CHINESE AND SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS WILL BE MADE IN SCHOOLS IN WHICH THERE ARE STUDENTS UNABLE TO TAKE THE TEST IN CHINESE. OFFICERS OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ARE ALREADY AT WORK DESIGNING DETAILS OF THE TEST AND PREPARING SPECIMEN PAPERS.

THE NEW PROCEDURES INVOLVE THE CREATION OF SCHOOL NETS, OR GROUPS OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS WHICH SUPPLY STUDENTS TO BALANCED GROUPS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS. DETAILS OF THE SCHOOL NETS WILL BE DRAWN UP IN THE AUTUMN AFTER APPROPRIATE CONSULTATION AND IT IS HOPED TO HAVE THESE PUBLISHED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION EARLY IN 1977.

FINIMUM

SIMILARLY, DETAILS OF THE COMPOSITION, FUNCTIONS AND CONSTITUTION OF THE DISTRICT COUNCILS WILL BE DRAWN UP AFTER CAREFUL CONSULTATION AND SHOULD BE FINALISED IN TIME FOR THE COUNCILS TO BE SET UP BEFORE SCHOOLS SUBMIT THE IR FIRST SET OF

INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS IN THE SUMMER OF 1977.

THE ACTING