ENG-1953 — Page 114

HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT, 1953

Private technical and commercial schools, with day and night classes, had a total enrolment of 4,228. Courses offered included electrical engineering, civil and mechanical engineer- ing, wireless telegraphy, aero engines, automobile engineering on the technical side, and English, book-keeping, accounting, typewriting and shorthand on the commercial side. Standards of tuition varied: among the best were those managed by the Salesian Society and the Far Eastern Flying School.

Adult education was carried out

out mainly through the Evening Institute classes organized by the Education depart- ment, the Technical College Evening department and by private night schools. In addition, officers of the Agricultural and Fisheries department and others visited centres of local industry to advise and lecture on agricultural, technical, industrial and special subjects. A standing committee on Technical Education and Vocational Training is to be set up, which will be concerned with adult technical classes, and an advisory committee already exists in connexion with the Evening School of Higher Chinese Studies. Maximum enrolment figures for adult education in classes provided directly by Government were 1,403 in general classes, 2,600 in technical classes, and 332 in the School of Higher Chinese Studies. General courses are determined by demand; they include accountancy, commercial book-keeping and costing, shorthand, English, biology, handwork and carpentry. Additional classes in English and book-keeping have been started in rural areas, where literacy classes were also organized.

The Technical College evening courses include building, electrical engineering, field surveying, mechanical engineering and naval architecture, all of which are taught in English. These are divided into a senior course, of 3 years' duration, and an advanced course of 2 years. These correspond to $1, S2 and S3, and A1, A2 respectively, of the National Certificate Courses offered in United Kingdom technical colleges. There

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