ENG-1974 — Page 283

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HISTORY

Economic expansion has enabled the government to increase its social services to match Hong Kong's all-round growth. Total enrolment in all types of schools and educational centres increased from 120,000 in 1948, to 1,302,838 in 1974. A govern- ment or subsidised primary school place is now available for every child of primary school age. Free primary education was introduced in September 1971 for the ver- nacular schools and at the same time a form of compulsory education for all primary schools came into force.

The University of Hong Kong re-opened in 1946 with a total of 109 students and, by 1974, had expanded to 3,106 undergraduates, 367 higher degree students and 230 students reading for post-graduate diplomas or certificates. The Chinese University of Hong Kong opened in October 1963 comprising three student colleges, and enrolment had risen to 3,158 by September 1974. A polytechnic, run by its own board with its first principal appointed in 1971, assumed responsibility for the work of the Hong Kong Technical College in August 1972.

The Social Welfare Office, set up in 1946, became an independent government department in 1958, and has since been expanding its functions. More than 100 voluntary agencies, the majority of which are members of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, founded in 1946, offer a variety of services supplementing the work of the government. These include family welfare, group and community work and rehabilitation.

The rapid industrialisation of Hong Kong has demanded special attention to labour legislation. Hours of work for women and young people in industry were regulated in 1959 and by the end of 1971 were reduced to eight a day and 48 a week. The Employment Ordinance provides for the protection of wages of manual workers and non-manual workers earning not more than $2,000 a month. It also regulates conditions of employment and contracts, provides for six days paid holidays each year and 24 days sick leave on half pay, and gives an entitlement to four rest days a month.

The first public housing estate was built in 1953, after 50,000 squatters lost their homes in a Christmas day fire at Shek Kip Mei. These housing blocks had only basic facilities with the intention of providing quickly a large number of homes for victims and other squatters at rents they could afford. Housing blocks have now been im- proved and standards of accommodation have been progressively raised in new housing estates.

A new unified Housing Authority was formed in April 1972, with the respon- sibility of planning, building and managing all public housing estates in Hong Kong. It is served by the Housing Department-the result of amalgamating the former Resettlement Department and the housing division of Urban Services Department. In the past 20 years, the government has provided homes for more than 1.7 million people in its 53 public housing estates, representing more than 43 per cent of Hong Kong's population. Apart from public housing, another 131,000 people enjoy sub- sidised housing provided by the Hong Kong Housing Society, the largest of govern- ment-aided voluntary housing societies.