TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 403

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government or aided secondary schools or were given assisted places

in private secondary schools, thus exceeding the aim by 3.3 per cent.

A further 49.3 per cent of primary school leavers were admitted to

11.

other secondary schools offering courses to School Certificate level.

The 1965 White Paper considered that because the current

position so closely approached the aims of existing policy the time

had come to select fresh ones. In outline, these were as follows:

(i)

to rely for the time being on voluntary

organisations and private enterprise to provide

kindergarten education; the Education Department

to assist in providing advisory services and

facilities for in-service training courses;

(ii) to extend the number of places in government

and aided primary schools as rapidly as possible

and to introduce a scheme of subsidised places in

private schools so as to provide for all children

seeking any such places (estimated to be 80 per

cent of all children of primary school age);

(iii) to lengthen the primary course to six years,

absorbing the existing Special Forms I into the

primary system, and with particular attention to

the study of English in the sixth year in order to

facilitate later study in Anglo-Chinese schools,

to improve English standards in Chinese Middle

schools and to benefit the Chinese University;

(iv) to reduce the age of entry to primary school to

6 years (this had been raised from 6 to 7 in 1963.

when a new pattern had been introduced of a five-

year basic primary course starting at age 7,

to

be followed by two extra years in Special Forms I

and II for those children. not proceeding to a full