ENG-1970 — Page 109

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EDUCATION

Government's declared aim is to provide three years of aided secondary education for all children in the 12-14 age group seeking it. This will require a very substantial programme of expansion, and every effect will be made to provide places for 50 per cent of the age group by 1976.

Within the 50 per cent figure, provision will be made for 18-20 per cent of the 12-16 year age group to proceed on to aided courses leading to a certificate of education, in substitution for the present aim of providing for 15-20 per cent of primary school leavers. It is to be emphasised that this figure of 18 per cent calculated on the new age group basis represents a considerable increase of the order of 45,000 places in the numbers to be provided for. Although 16.8 per cent of school leavers are currently being aided in this sector, this figure represents only 10 per cent of the 12–16 age group.

The extra school places to be found in Forms I-III under this new policy will be provided either directly in government or aided schools, or in private non-profit-making schools which will be assisted for the purpose, or by buying places in suitable private profit-making schools: in whatever proportion appears to be most suitable and economic. It is also probable that a considerable number of new schools will have to be built to make up the balance of the required number of places in Forms I-III.

HIGHER EDUCATION

With the beginning of the 1969-70 academic year, Government introduced a new scheme of student financing, under which public funds are made available for outright grants and interest-free loans to be made to needy students at the University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The administration of grants totalling $2.588 million and loans totalling $3.235 million for 1970-1 is in the hands of a Joint Universities Committee. This scheme represents a substantial increase in the amount of public funds available for student financing and is intended to enable Government to achieve the aim of ensuring that students offered a place in either of the two universities should not be unable to accept that place through lack of means.