ENG-1976 — Page 99

EDUCATION

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The further development of special education is being considered in the context of the 1976 Green Paper on Rehabilitation Services (see Chapter 7).

Secondary Education

There are five main types of secondary school: Anglo-Chinese grammar schools, Chinese middle schools, secondary technical schools, secondary modern schools, and prevocational schools. The 283 Anglo-Chinese grammar day schools have an enrolment of 303,413 pupils. They offer a five-year course in the usual academic subjects leading to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education examination. Instruction is mainly in English, but Chinese has a prominent place in the curriculum. Successful Certificate of Education candidates may enter sixth forms to prepare for entrance to the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, or the Polytechnic. They may also study for the General Certificate of Education at both ordinary and advanced levels.

The 104 Chinese middle day schools accommodate 65,774 pupils and offer a five-year course in the usual academic subjects also leading to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education examination. Instruction is in Chinese, and English is taught as a second language. A number of Chinese middle schools also offer a one-year sixth form matriculation course to prepare students for entrance to the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

There are 16 secondary technical schools which offer a five-year or seven-year course with instruction in English and with Chinese taught as a second language. Nine of the schools are government, five subsidised and two private. Their total enrolment is 12,380. Like the Anglo-Chinese grammar schools, they prepare their pupils for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education examination and suitable can- didates can continue their studies in Form VI or at the technical institutes, the Polytechnic or the Technical Teachers' College.

Five subsidised secondary modern schools with an enrolment of 3,879 offer a three-year secondary course with a practical bias. There are also 10 private and nine subsidised secondary schools with a total enrolment of 7,362, which offer some form of technical and trade training not leading to the Certificate of Education examination.

For secondary school students who obtain satisfactory results in the Certificate of Education examination, higher education is available at the colleges of education, the technical institutes, the Polytechnic and other post-secondary-type colleges.

There has been a steady increase in the number of pupils enrolled in all types of day-time secondary schools. In September there were 392,808 such students, compared with 359,196 the previous year. During the school year 6,079 new secondary places were provided in new school buildings. A total of 98,424 pupils entered the first year of secondary school. This represents the promotion of 88.3 per cent of the pupils completing primary schools. Of these pupils, 56.8 per cent were awarded government, government-aided, or assisted places. These pupils who were awarded places on the results of the secondary school entrance examination-totalled 63,266.