ENG-1980 — Page 113

EDUCATION

Research

+--n

77

In addition to the research programmes conducted in each department, there are four research institutes the Institute of Business Management Studies, Institute of Chinese Studies, Institute of Science and Technology, and the Institute of Social Studies and the Humanities. They promote inter-disciplinary research in each faculty, with particular emphasis on projects with long-term regional significance or applied value, to supplement the research of each department.

Various research centres established within the four institutes concentrate on specific fields including Chinese archaeology and art, the Chinese language, comparative literature, translation, Chinese medicinal materials, food protein production, machine translation, economic research, communication studies, social research, East Asian studies, public affairs research and geographical research.

During the 1979-80 academic year, the university hosted a number of major international conferences. They included an international symposium on Sino-Japanese cultural inter- change; the Fifth Biennial General Meeting of the Southeast Asian Mathematical Society; a conference on recent advances in mathematics and its applications; the Hong Kong Conference on East-West Comparative Literature; a seminar on China: Modernisation and Diplomacy; a seminar on plants for fertility regulation; and an international seminar on public relations education and training.

Teacher Education

Teacher education, except for technical teacher training, is provided at the Education Department's three Colleges of Education Grantham, Northcote and Sir Robert Black. With effect from September, 1980, all three colleges introduced a new three-year full-time course. This course replaced the traditional two-year course, which was designed to produce non-graduate teachers, qualified to teach in primary schools and the junior forms of secondary schools. A separately-structured, two-year, full-time course was started at Northcote College of Education for students who have obtained Grade E, or above, in two or more subjects in the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination. The three colleges also offer Advanced Courses of Teacher Education for both trained serving teachers and students who have just completed an initial, full-time course. Part-time, in-service training courses are also provided for primary and secondary school teachers. In September, there were 478 students in the three-year course, 94 students in the new two-year course, and 1,024 in the in-service training courses and advanced courses.

Financial assistance in the form of interest-free loans and maintenance grants is provided by the government for students enrolled in the full-time courses. The maximum maintenance grants and interest-free loans to college students are $2,000 and $2,400 per annum, respectively.

Technical teacher training is provided at the Hong Kong Technical Teachers' College. The college trains technical teachers for secondary schools, prevocational schools and technical institutes. Three regular courses are offered. A one-year full-time course is available for mature students who are well qualified and experienced in a technical field and have decided to take up technical teaching as a career. Generous grants are offered to attract such suitable recruits from commerce and industry. A two-year, full-time course for secondary technical school-leavers will be phased out by July, 1982, and replaced by a three-year full-time course. The college also provides in-service courses for teacher training, and courses for supervisors and instructors employed by industry.