ENG-1976 — Page 270

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RECREATION

The council also continued to give advice and information to students leaving for further studies in Britain. There was close co-operation with Hong Kong's Educa- tion Department and a large number of students were met by British Council officers and helped with accommodation on arrival in London.

On the cultural side, the Watford Palace Theatre-under the joint auspices of the British Council and the Urban Council-gave five performances at the City Hall in May. The company presented Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice' and Shaw's 'Pygmalion.'

Two book exhibitions were held during the year-one on applied sciences and the other on teaching English for special purposes. Both were mounted at the British Council Library in Star House, Kowloon, and the second was subsequently taken to the Grantham College of Education and the Northcote College of Education. It was visited by about 1,000 students, teachers and lecturers.

In February the council began a programme of direct English teaching to adults. The courses lead to the first and proficiency certificates of the Cambridge University local examinations. In June and July, a survey was carried out on the use of English in Hong Kong. It was prepared by a working party chaired by the British Council Representative and comprising representatives of the government, both universities and the Hong Kong Polytechnic.

In 1976 the council's library loaned more than 70,000 books to some 7,300 members. These members-mainly students-also make full use of the reading room where there are copies of more than 160 British newspapers and magazines on a wide variety of subjects.

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