XN000022-1991-09-07 — Page 5

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1991

"OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS OR SO, CFPA'S INCREASED FROM $16.3 MILLION TO $ 35.14 MILLION. THE

THE COUNCIL'S GRANTS GROUPS BENEFITTING FROM

DOUBLED FROM 30 TO 60," HE SAID.

MR SO SAID THE HONG KONG ACADEMY FOR RAISED THE STANDARD OF PERFORMING ARTS AND HAD TALENTS SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1984.

BY

BUDGET HAS

BEEN

OF NUMBER

ARTS

BENEFITTED

HAS

Also

PERFORMING

ARTS HAD

TRAINED UP SOME 500.

TECHNICAL

FULL-TIME

TWO-YEAR

"PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN DANCE, DRAMA, MUSIC AND ARTS IS BEING PROVIDED

THE ACADEMY. IN

ΤΟ ADDITION THREE-YEAR DIPLOMA COURSES, THE ACADEMY ALSO PROVIDE CERTIFICATE AND PART-TIME EVENING COURSES.

"FROM NEXT SEPTEMBER, THE ACADEMY WILL BEGIN то HAVE DEGREE COURSES IN MUSIC, DANCE AND DRAMA, HE ADDED.

IN IN THE PAST, THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTS

HOWEVER, FUNDED ESSENTIALLY BY THE GOVERNMENT. LAUNCHED A MATCHING GRANT SCHEME

ENCOURAGE

TOWARDS ARTS.

TO

HONG KONG HAS BEEN

LAST THE CFPA

YEAR SPONSORSHIP BUSINESS

ESTABLISHkb

"IN JUNE 1990, A GROUP OF ENTHUSIASTIC BUSINESSMEN

OF A FOUNDATION OF BUSINESS IN SUPPORT

THE ARTS (FBSA). ITS MAIN TO ASSIST OBJECTIVE ARE TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTS IN HONG KONG, THE ARTS IN OBTAINING SPONSORS

ΤΟ HELP FUND CULTURAL EVENTS FEATURING HONG KONG ARTISTS," MR SO SAID.

AND

HE SAID THERE WERE ALTOGETHER EIGHT MUSIC CENTRES UNDER THE MUSIC OFFICE OF THE RECREATION AND CULTURE BRANCH PROVIDING AN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC TRAINING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

"AT PRESENT, THE MUSIC OFFICE RUNS MORE THAN 700 TRAINING CLASSES IN BOTH CHINESE AND WESTERN INSTRUMENTS FOR OVER 3,500 STUDENTS; AS WELL AS ORCHESTRAL TRAINING FOR OVER 4,800 YOUNGSTERS.

"THE MUSIC OFFICE ORGANISES MORE THAN 300 CONCERTS ANNUALLY FOR SOME 170,000 AUDIENCES, MR SO SAID.

||

MORE GOVT SPENDING ON SERVICES FOR ELDERLY

HAS

GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY INCREASED FROM $500 MILLION IN 1982 TO $2,260 MILLION THIS YEAR, THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, MRS ROSE GOODSTADT, SAID TODAY

(SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE SIK SIK YUEN HO SHING HOME FOR THE ELDERLY AT KWONG YUEN ESTATE, SHA TIN, MRS GOODSTADT NOTED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ΤΟ SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY IN THE PAST 10 YEARS.

/"TO ENABLE