EDUCATION
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Some 4,627 students now receive awards of this nature. There are 1,477 private schools.
VOLUNTARY EDUCATION AND WELFARE WORK
Missions of various denominations and Kaifong welfare associa- tions organize grant-in-aid and subsidized schools. Both missions and Kaifongs sponsor boards of management for non-profit-making schools. Kaifongs also provide free education for poor children. The British Red Cross Society organizes hospital schools for crippled children. Schools for the deaf, for the blind and for lepers, orphanages, and homes for maladjusted children are also provided by various welfare associations while the Po Leung Kuk provides free schooling for homeless young women and children in its care.
Other welfare agencies which help education include the YMCA and YWCA, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association. The Children's Playground Association, the Boy Scout and Girl Guides Association and the Rotary Clubs also give assistance. The Education Department works closely with the Social Welfare Department and voluntary agencies on special schools, and is represented at the meetings of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the Standing Conference of Youth Organizations, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Clubs, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong. The department associates closely with the Medical and Health Department in health education and with the Hong Kong Teachers' Association in the professional sphere.
LIBRARIES
The City Hall public library, opened in 1962, has established itself as a most valuable addition to Hong Kong's library facilities. Libraries are also maintained by the British Council, the United States Information Service, the Chamber of Commerce, a number of government departments including the Education Department and the University of Hong Kong. Access to the university and some of the official libraries is restricted. Books, pamphlets, journals and visual-aid material are distributed by the Government
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