ENG-1977 — Page 99

Ambitious programme

With about 30 per cent of Hong Kong's 4.5 million people enrolled in educational institutions, the government is pressing on with a massive expansion programme that will provide, by September, 1978, subsidised secondary education for every primary school-leaver. The programme calls for providing 51,480 additional junior secondary school places and building 54 new secondary schools, including conver- sions of surplus primary schools. A further 48 new secondary schools will be built between 1979 and 1981. The expansion will make available to every child nine years of subsidised education six years primary and three years secondary. It also is proposed to provide, by 1981, subsidised Form IV places for 50 per cent of students in the 15-year-old age group; subsequently, up to one third of these students will be able to proceed to Form VI on a subsidised basis. In addition to secondary schools, fully-subsidised pre-vocational institutions provide three-year post-primary courses that serve as an introduction to craft apprenticeships. Students graduating from pre-vocational schools have a chance to continue their studies at four government- run technical institutes that provide full and part-time courses designed to meet new technological and industrial develop- ments. Higher education facilities, financed largely by public funds, are provided for more than 30,000 people at the Hong Kong Polytechnic, the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

IDEAL

Previous page: Clay models surround two youngsters enjoying an art class at a govern- ment-aided secondary school. Left (from

goes top): A primary school class outdoors for an art lesson; a typing teacher gives a secondary school student a few pointers; pre-vocational textile craft students learn the functions of a machine used in the manu- facture of cotton yarn.

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