XN000022-1982-11-28 — Page 3

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1982

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PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS HOLDING OPEN DAY THURSDAY

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THE ANNUAL PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS JOINT OPEN DAY WILL BE HELD THIS YEAR IN THE NEWLY-COMPLETED MARDEN FOUNDATION CARITAS PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL IN CHAI WAN.

THE EVENT, ORGANISED BY THE HONG KONG PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS COUNCIL, WILL BE OFFICIALLY OPENED BY THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR COLVYN HAYE ON THURSDAY,

A CEREMONY TO MARK THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE MARDEN FOUNDATION CARITAS PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOL AND CARITAS SOCIAL CENTRE BY MR J.L. MARDEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARDEN FOUNDATION LTD WILL PRECEDE THE OPENING OF THE JOINT OPEN DAY. THE MOST REV. JOHN BAPTIST WU, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF HONG KONG, AND GOVERNORS OF THE FOUNDATION, WILL HOST THE CEREMONY.

PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ARE GOVERNMENT AIDED SCHOOLS PROVIDING THREE YEARS OF JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION TO PREPARE PUPILS FOR THE CRAFT APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME. TWO YEARS OF SENIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ARE OFFERED FOR THOSE ACADEMICALLY MORE CAPABLE PUPILS TO CONTINUE THE IR EDUCATION UP TO CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION LEVEL, AND LATER TO PROCEED DIRECTLY TO TECHNICIAN PROGRAMMES IN THE POLYTECHNIC OR THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.

THERE ARE AT PRESENT 12 PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS WITH A TOTAL ENROLMENT OF ABOUT 10 000 PUPILS. IN THE NEXT THREE TO FOUR YEARS, 12 MORE SUCH SCHOOLS ARE EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED TO MEET PUBLIC DEMAND.

THE POPULARITY OF THESE SCHOOLS IS SHOWN BY THE LARGE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS FOR FORM 1 PLACES IN THEM VIA THE SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES ALLOCATION SYSTEM.

THERE WERE ABOUT 13 000 APPLICANTS IN EACH OF THE LAST THREE YEARS FOR THE 3 000 FORM I PLACES AVAILABLE IN THE 12 SCHOOLS.

THIS BIG DEMAND RESULTED IN THE INTRODUCTION OF FORM IV CLASSES IN SEPTEMBER 1981 AND FORM V CLASSES IN 1982.

THE FIRST GROUP OF 738 PUPILS FROM THESE 12 PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS WILL BE TAKING THEIR HKCEE NEXT YEAR.

ASIDE FROM THE BASIC ACADEMIC SUBJECTS, THEY WILL ALSO BE SITTING FOR SEVERAL OF THE PRACTICAL/TECHNICAL SUBJECTS SUCH AS ENGINEERING METALWORK, ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICITY, TECHNICAL DRAWING, ART AND DESIGN, AND COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS SUCH AS PRINCIPLE OF ACCOUNTS, TYPING AND SHORTHAND.

+THERE WILL BE AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATES TO FURTHER THE IR STUDIES EITHER IN THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, THE HONG KONG TECHNICAL TEACHERS COLLEGE AND THE POLYTECHNIC, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CAREERS EDUCATION SECTION OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAID.

BECAUSE OF THE BROAD-BASED BASIC SKILLS THEY HAVE ACQUIRED IN THE IR FIVE-YEAR SECONDARY SCHOOL COURSE, THEY FIND A WIDE RANGE OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES ARE OPEN TO THEM.