TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 367

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Evaluations supplied by teachers, questionnaires, seminars, visits to

schools by ETV producers and inspectors, and reports from members of the

Advisory Inspectorate have resulted in many improvements to ETV since

its inception in 1971.

Physical standards

7.21

In terms of purely physical provision, there are wide differences

in the quality of Hong Kong schools. All government schools are built to

agreed standards and include sufficient special rooms and equipment to

ensure adequate facilities for a well-rounded curriculum. As may be

expected in a tightly-packed territory like Hong Kong there is insufficient

land to provide schools with individual outdoor sports facilities, but

all schools have access to shared facilities within reasonable reach of

the school premises: these are provided by means of a booking system by

the Urban Services Department. Non-government schools in the public sector

vary in physical standards. While all must meet specified standards in

order to qualify for financial assistance, some are more richly endowed

than others in various ways for example, in land acquired over a period

of time, or in such facilities as swimming pools and well-stocked libraries,

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provided in some cases by parent-teacher associations.

Private schools

vary even more, but the very poorly equipped private independent schools

which were a feature of the system when there were insufficient public-

sector places for primary and junior secondary pupils are now less in

evidence, though some are likely to remain so long as social demand for

an 'academic' education at senior secondary level exceeds supply. Some

private independent schools are well equipped and are able to attract

well-qualified teachers and pupils willing and able to pay relatively

high fees for senior secondary and sixth-form courses. A greater number

of schools in the public sector would include practical and technical

subjects in their curricula if they had sufficient space. In order to

assist such schools, and generally to encourage a wider interest in