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EDUCATION

The number of students in all areas of education continues to increase. Detailed figures are given in Appendix XXVI, but some idea of this expansion can be gained from the fact that enrolment at the end of September in primary schools was 724,450 and in secondary schools it was 253,458 compared with 689,561 and 235,387 respectively in 1967. Altogether 1,133,041 pupils were enrolled in 2,594 schools, colleges and education centres, 91,561 more than last year's figure.

Recreation plays an ever-increasing role in the work of the Physical Education Section of the department. A recent survey has shown that outdoor pursuits are by far the most popular aspects of recreation with school children in Hong Kong. Competitions, galas and sports days were organized and some 40,000 school children took part in these activities. A series of summer refresher courses in physical education for over a thousand teachers was conducted during the summer vacation; the Physical Education Section also organized a series of coaching schemes for school children.

The growth in the scope of musical education in recent years has been maintained. The 20th Annual Schools Musical Festival again broke all records and an estimated 35,000 competitors took part in the 344 available classes. Adjudicators from the United Kingdom and Australia commented favourably on the overall standard of achievement reached by school and individual entries in both music and speech classes and no less than eight public prize-winners concerts were held after the competition.

The Hong Kong Youth Orchestra, with over 90 players, con- tinued to give public concerts of works from the standard orchestral repertoire and the expanding instrumental music scheme now covers 42 classes involving nearly 500 pupils.

Music in the primary schools has received an impetus with the publication of the new music syllabus and of the third volume of song books for primary classes.

Four examiners from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music conducted the Practical Examinations, for which entries reached the record number of 4,478, making Hong Kong the second largest centre among all Commonwealth countries served