ENG-1971 — Page 121

EDUCATION

75

grammar schools they prepare their pupils for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education examination and suitable candidates can continue their studies either in Form VI or at the Technical College. Five subsidised secondary modern schools with an enrolment of 3,701 offer a three-year secondary course with a practical bias. There are also 10 private and four subsidised secondary schools with a total enrolment of 4,064 which offer some form of technical or trade training not leading to the Certificate of Education examina- tion. Plans have been approved to provide 6,000 places in three- year courses in subsidised pre-vocational schools and three such schools are already in operation.

There has been a steady increase in the number of pupils enrolled in all types of secondary schools operated during the day. In Septem- ber there were 251,463 such students compared with 235,406 in the previous year. During the school year 10,760 new secondary places were provided in new school buildings.

The 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 substantial programme of expansion, and every effort is being made to provide places for 50 per cent of the age group by 1976. Within this figure, provision will be made for 18-20 per cent of the 12-16 age group to proceed to aided courses leading to a certificate of education.

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. For 1971-2 over 6,000 pupils have been awarded three-year assisted places on the results of the Secondary School Entrance examination to be taken up in various private non-profit-making and private profit-making secondary schools. New schools will also have to be built to make up the balance of the required number of places in Forms I–III.

HIGHER EDUCATION

A scheme of student financing, under which public funds are made available for outright grants and interest-free loans to needy students at the University of Hong Kong and The Chinese Univer- sity of Hong Kong was introduced by the Government in 1969-70. The administration of grants totalling $2.7 million and loans totalling $3.4 million for 1971-2 is in the hands of a Joint Universities Com- mittee. This scheme represents a substantial increase in the amount