TNAG-0251-FCO40-287-Education-policy-of-government-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 146

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NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT OF TIME THEN IT IS PROBABLY

EXAGGERATED BY ABOUT 30%. UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE AT THE MOMENT 9 YEARS

FROM THE LAST CENSUS AND UNTIL THE RESULT OF NEXT YEAR' CENSUS IS

COMPLETE GREATER PRECISION IS IMPOSSIBLE'.

3. THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL MAY BE USEFUL

(A) STANDARD FEES IN GOVERNMENT AND SUBSIDISED PRIMARY SCHOOLS HAVE

BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED, AND WITH EFFECT FROM SEPTEMBER 1969 HAVE

BEEN TWENTY-SEVEN SHILLINGS AND SIXPENCE A YEAR FOR URBAN SCHOOLS

AND THIRTEEN SHILLINGS AND NINEPENCE FOR RURAL SCHOOLS. IN CASES

OF NEED EVEN THESE LOW FEES ARE REMITTED AND GRANTS GIVEN TO HELP

WITH PURCHASES OF TEXTBOOKS AND STATIONERY.

(B) THERE IS, OF COURSE, NOTHING IN THE NATURE OF AN EDUCATIONAL

RATE HERE, AND THESE CHARGES REPRESENT ALL THAT IS RAISED DIRECTLY

TOWARDS THE COST OF PRIMARY EDUCATION SEMICOLON THE REMAINING COST

FALLING ON THE GENERAL REVENUE.

(C) SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF

PLACES IN GOVERNMENT AND SUBSIDISED PRIMARY SCHOOLS. IN SEPTEMBER

1969, THERE WERE 609,300 SUCH PLACES, AS COMPARED WITH AN ESTIMATED

650,000 CHILDREN IN THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP OF 6 11 YEARS. IT IS

ESTIMATED THAT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PLACES WILL BE INCREASED TO

APPROXIMATELY 632,200 BY MARCH 1971, AS COMPARED WITH THE ESTIMATED

11 YEARS AGE GROUP AT THAT TIME OF 645,000.

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STR D. TRENCH

FILES

HONG KONG DEPT.

ADDITIONAL DISTRIBUTION U.N.D. - 4 COPIES

COPY TO :

EDUCATIONAL ADVISER, O.D.M.

SIR. L. MONSON

MR. WILFORD

P.S. TO LORD SHEPHERD

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