ENG-1976 — Page 97

EDUCATION

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board, which advises the Governor on educational matters. Under the terms of the Education Ordinance, the Director of Education is responsible for the superintendence of matters relating to education and for promoting education in Hong Kong. He directly controls all government schools, while virtually all other schools are required to be registered under the ordinance, as are the managers and teachers of these schools.

Kindergartens

There are 807 kindergartens providing education for 161,471 children in the three to six age group. These institutions are not maintained by the government but are registered with the Education Department and are advised and supervised by the Advisory 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 allocation of premises in public housing estates; and the provision of teacher training and related facilities. It also makes freely available professional advice to school managers, teachers, parents and members of the public.

Primary Education

The target of providing a government or government-aided primary place for every child of primary school age was achieved in 1971. Since then, education has been free in all government primary schools and in the majority of aided primary schools. In the few aided primary schools where fees continue to be charged, fee remission of up to 20 per cent of total enrolment may be awarded to meet cases of genuine hardship. To help needy parents further, a textbook and stationery grant of $30 per pupil each year is available to 20 per cent of pupils enrolled in government and aided primary schools.

In recent years there has been a downward trend in primary school enrolment as a result of the decline in the birth rate. In September 1976 the total primary day school enrolment was 607,990, compared with 644,192 the previous year. In addition 15,751 pupils attended primary night schools. During the school year 15,120 new primary places were provided in new and developing schools, compared with 16,910 the previous year. Further provision of places will be planned mainly to meet the needs of developing areas, particularly the new towns.

The administration of primary schools has been decentralised for a number of years and there are now seven administration areas-two on Hong Kong Island, three in Kowloon and two in the New Territories. This arrangement enables close contact to be maintained between the Education Department and the schools. Under the Education Ordinance the Director of Education has power to order parents to send their children to school where it appears that the parents are withholding their children from primary school without reasonable excuse. These powers are exercised only after careful investigation of family circumstances and the needs of the child, and parents have the right of appeal to a speedily constituted board of review.

During the year 17 primary schools from different parts of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories were included in a project organised jointly by the Education