ENG-1973 — Page 98

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EDUCATION

schools. Other schools, with a few exceptions, are required to be registered under the ordinance, providing the Director with the necessary powers to ensure that acceptable standards are maintained.

In March 1972 a Select Committee of the Legislative Council submitted a report on the findings of its enquiry into the costs of operating English-speaking schools. As a result of this report interim annual fees of $2,050 for secondary and $1,150 for primary English-speaking schools were introduced in January 1973. This was done on the understanding that within a period of approximately one year the government, in consultation with the English Schools Foundation, would work out long-term financial arrangements for the operation of the schools run by the foundation. These arrangements are to maintain the principle of parity of subsidy between the English- speaking schools and equivalent Chinese-speaking schools, to ensure similarity of fee levels in schools run by the government and the English Schools Foundation, and to provide a sound financial basis for the foundation to operate its schools.

These arrangements were finalised in September 1973 and as a result it was announced that fees at English-speaking schools would be raised on January 1, 1974 to $2,530 a year at secondary schools and $1,330 a year at primary schools. At the same time it was announced that the government, as an employer, would adjust the local education allowance scheme available for civil servants accordingly.

Pre-primary Education

There are 758 private kindergartens in Hong Kong providing education for 132,335 children in the three to five age group. These institutions are not maintained or run by the government but are registered with the Education Department and supervised by the inspectorate. The government gives assistance in the form of grants of Crown Land to reliable bodies; exemption from payment of rates for non-profit- making kindergartens; the provision of accommodation and the waiving of rents in public housing estates; and the provision of teacher training and further education facilities. It also makes freely available professional advice to teachers, school mana- gers, parents and members of the public.

Primary Education

The great majority of primary schools use Cantonese as the language of instruc- tion. English is studied as a second language from the second year of the course. Seven primary schools, including five operated by the government, cater for children whose first language is English.

There is a downward trend in the number of pupils enrolled in primary schools as a result of a general decline in birth rate. The total primary day school enrolment in September was 705,207, compared with 728,426 in the previous year. In addition, 18,372 pupils attended primary night schools and a limited number of special afternoon classes. During the year, 17,260 new primary places were provided, compared with 26,820 in the previous year. As the target of providing a government or subsidised primary place for every child of primary school age has already been reached, further provision of school places is geared mainly to the needs of developing areas.