need a course of further training to up-date their understanding of modern teaching methods. The first courses will be mounted in the colleges of education on a part-time day-release or block- release basis, beginning in September 1980. They will be open to graduate and non-graduate teachers whose course of basic training was completed at least five years ago. Performance on these courses will be assessed and it is hoped that schools will attach importance to a teacher's perfor- mance in these and in similar courses when considering his suitability for promotion. In addition, the shorter in-service training courses conducted by the Education Department Inspectorate will continue. These have already been expanded substantially in recent years. Third-year courses for serving secondary school teachers will continue to be available in the colleges, with a wider choice of subjects than at present.
5.22 Allowance for these various training schemes for serving teachers will be made within schools' staffing complement.
5.23
Much attention will be given, in both pre-service and in-service courses, to deve- loping proficiency in language and in improving communication skills. The present policy of leaving to the school authorities decisions on the use of Chinese or English within the school will continue. The drive to improve the standard of Chinese in schools will be intensified. There is also an urgent need to improve standards in English, which is the medium of instruction for about 84% of senior secondary students. It is desirable that all who teach through the medium of English should themselves possess an adequate standard of English and be able to correct erroneous use of the language by their students. An English Language Adviser has been seconded from the British. Council to prepare proposals for raising the standards of English within schools and teacher training programmes. He will consider specialised facilities for the training of non-graduate teachers of English, so that a high level of professionalism in English language teaching may be achieved. Arrangements have been made with the British Council for in-service courses in the use of English for teachers who use it as the medium of instruction. In order to improve proficiency in English among graduate students at the university Schools of Education, both universities have been invited to submit proposals to the University and Polytechnic Grants Committe for developing an English Language Unit in each of the Schools of Education.
5.24 The accommodation requirements at the colleges of education have been considered in the course of the review of teacher training. The spare capacity available in the colleges in recent years will be absorbed by the planned increase in new students to meet schools' requirements for additional teachers and by the extended pre-service and refresher training programmes described in this chapter, but the establishment of an additional college will not be necessary.
5.25 The Technical Teachers' College will remain as a separate institution. Its present accommodation in the former Morrison Hill Primary School is not satisfactory, except on a temporary basis, though it will be provided with additional accommodation of a higher standard when it moves into part of the converted Victoria Technical School annex in September 1979. It is intended that permanent premises should be provided for the Technical Teachers' College on a site adjacent to the technical institute now being built at Kowloon Tong. It is hoped that these premises will be available in September 1982.
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