TNAG-1413-FCO40-1889-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-report-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 185

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CONFIDENTIAL

(b) Education

40.

In the period under review, the Hong Kong Government again demonstrated the high value they place on extending educational opportunities. They set themselves the target of providing by 1991 enough subsidised places in Forms 4 and 5 (for children aged 15 and 16) in secondary schools, and in one-year full-time craft courses in technical institutes and training centres, to satisfy the demand for post-junior secondary education of 96% of

the age group completing Form 3. The achievement of this target which will mainly involve the construction of 24 new secondary schools, will permit the

phasing-out of the unpopular Junior Secondary Education Assessment

system, which at present selects and allocates Form 3 leavers

leavers to a

limited number of Form 4 places in the public sector.

41.

During the year 28,000 full-time or equivalent part-time students attended institutions of higher learning in Hong Kong, of whom 13,000 were on degree courses. In addition, the Joint Funding Scheme for Hong Kong students in Britain has provided a further

valuable source of subsidised places in higher education.

In Hong

Kong, the target figure for first year places in first degree

courses by 1994-95 wa s just over 6,300 until the Government

announced that it would proceed with the planning of a third University. The target for provision of first year degree places by

1994-95 was thus increased to over 7.500. Hong Kong's second

Polytechnic, the City Polytechnic, planning for which started in

1982, admitted its first students in October

in October in temporary premises

while its permanent campus is being constructed. Planning for a third University will commence shortly.

42.

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The year also saw: steps taken to ensure that the younger generation became more proficient in both the Chinese and English

languages; the expansion of facilities for industrial training, as a

result of new centres opening in Kwai Chung and Kowloon Bay; new

technical institutes at Sha Tin and Tuen Mun nearing completion; and

progress towards completion of scheme to include computer studies

in Forms 4 and 5 curricula for all aided secondary schools from September 1986. At

present s ome 210 schools or about two-thirds of

the total include computer studies in their curricula.

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CONFIDENTIAL