TNAG-0796-FCO40-1000-Policy-of-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-1979 — Page 26

AIR MAIL

Нековен

✓ 3

Mthim, rom

NO.GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT.

HONG KONG.

Our Ref: CR 26/2041/76 VILL

Dear Robin,

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INDIA

1558

BLYNY

PA

OFFICER

December 1978

Action Ta

ne sur S пи

58

The information requested in your telno 901 of

28 November is set out below.

Senior Secondary Forms

2.

Present and proposed fees in Forms IV-VI are as set out in paragraph 4.21 of the White Paper. The cost of a school place varies between different types of school (e.g. Government or aided, grammar or technical) and round figures are given in paragraph 4.19 of the White Paper. In case you wish to have further details I will mention that in a 30-classroom secondary grammar school the annual cost for each place is reckoned to be $3010 in Forms IV and V and $5262 in Form VI at the present time. The unit costs in a secondary technical school of similar size would be about $100 higher. In 1965, when the last increase in school fees took place, fees met on average over 50% of costs.

3.

Fee remission is granted to needy students by Government and aided schools in accordance with guidelines issued by the Education Department. Eligibility for fee remission is determined by reference to family income, number of dependents and number of children at school. Over 60% of students in such schools receive either full or partial fee remission.

4.

As an illustration, a family with a monthly income of between $600 and $800 with two school-age children and no other dependants would qualify for full fee remission and the same family with an income of between $1,000 and $2,000 would get half fee remission.

5.

Fee remission arrangements do not apply to private schools where places are not allocated by the Education Department, and fees in such schools are usually much higher than the standard fees in schools in the public sector. Hence the proposal in the White Paper to provide sufficient places within the public sector for all suitable students and to bring suitable private non-profit-making schools onto full assistance will relieve the main area of hardship over the payment of school fees.

R.J.T. McLaren, Esq.,

Hong Kong & General Department,

Foreign & Commonwealth Office,

London SW1A 2AH, United Kingdom.

/Tertiary