ENG-1974 — Page 92

EDUCATION

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It is also the government's aim to provide, by 1979, aided secondary places for 40 per cent of the 15-16 age-group, the interim target being to enable 18 to 20 per cent of the 12-16 age-group to take aided secondary courses leading to the Certificate of Education. In September, 91,850 such places representing provision for 16.9 per cent of the 12-16 age-group were available.

Post-secondary Education

There are a number of day and evening schools offering courses of varying stand- ards at post-secondary levels. These schools do not receive aid from the government and their courses are mainly conducted in Chinese.

The Hong Kong Baptist College, standing on a site granted by the government, was registered under the Post-secondary College Ordinance in March 1970, thereby acquiring a status below that of a university institution, but above that of a secondary school. It has four faculties—arts, business, natural sciences and engineering, and social sciences-with an enrolment of 3,478. There are altogether 15 departments offering 18 major fields and three course programmes.

A college can be registered under the Post-secondary College Ordinance only when the Director of Education is satisfied with its academic standards, governing body, constitution, finances, educational facilities, number and qualifications of staff, and the number and conditions of admission of students. The Baptist College is the only institution at present registered under this ordinance.

Higher Education

A scheme of student financial assistance, under which public funds are made available for grants and interest-free loans to needy students at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, was introduced by the government in 1969-70. The administration of grants totalling $4.25 million and loans totalling $12.34 million for 1974-5 is in the hands of a joint universities' committee. The scheme represented a substantial increase in the amount of public funds available for student financing and aimed to ensure that students offered places in either of the two univer- sities should not be prevented, through lack of means, from taking the places offered.

IL

Both the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have some financial resources of their own, but are largely financed by the government. Because of the importance of university development and the sums of public money involved, the government needs impartial and expert advice both on the assessment of the amount of grant required to sustain any level of university activity, and on developments necessary to the community's requirements for graduates. The govern- ment also needs advice on the allocation of funds between the universities. To carry out these functions there is a University Grants Committee appointed by the Governor. It also acts as the formal channel between the universities and the government.

The University Grants Committee was expanded in May 1972 to become the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee to advise the government on the allocation of funds for the Hong Kong Polytechnic which came into formal existence in August 1972.