ENG-1990 — Page 158

EDUCATION

The training boards and general committees assess the future manpower needs of the economic sectors and recommend measures to meet these needs, prepare and disseminate training materials such as job specifications, training programmes and trade test guidelines and carry out other duties, such as operating and maintaining training centres or training schemes. During 1990, manpower surveys were conducted in the following 11 sectors: accountancy; banking; electronics; furniture; handbag and footwear; machine shop and metal working; merchant navy; printing; shipbuilding and ship repairs; tourism, and wholesale/retail and import/export. The training boards and general committees continued to prepare or update job specifications, training programmes, trade test guidelines, training curricula and glossaries of common technical terms.

The council and its training boards and committees are serviced partly by its own staff and partly by staff of the Technical Education and Industrial Training Department.

Education Department

The Director of Education is responsible under the terms of the Education Ordinance for general supervision of education in Hong Kong at kindergarten, primary and secondary levels. He also supervises institutions registered under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance.

He directly controls all government schools, the Colleges of Education (including the Hong Kong Technical Teachers' College) and the Institute of Language in Education. All other schools, with minor exceptions, are required to be registered under the Education Ordinance and to comply with its requirements. All schools are regularly inspected by the Education Department and those receiving financial assistance from the government under codes of aid are in addition subject to the provisions of these codes. The codes deal with matters like general administration, grants, staffing and conditions of service.

The department plays a major role in educational planning and development to ensure that approved policy objectives are achieved. Through its Advisory Inspectorate, it advises schools on teaching methods and plays an important part in curriculum development. The department's work includes the provision of educational television, implementation of the school building programme, allocation of school places, and educational research.

There are 17 educational districts, each headed by a Senior Education Officer who supervises the administration of schools within the district, provides advice and assistance to schools, teachers, parents and students, and acts as a channel of communication between them and the department. These officers also attend district board meetings to assist in discussions on educational matters.

Expenditure

The annual estimate of expenditure for educational services in the financial year beginning April 1990 provided for $1,558 million in capital expenditure for educational projects and $13,888 million in recurrent expenditure, representing 15 per cent of the total budget.

Kindergartens

Pre-school education for the 3-to-5 age group is provided in privately-run kindergartens. As at September 1990, 196 466 children were enrolled in 785 kindergartens, of which an increasing number are run on a non-profit-making basis. Such kindergartens are eligible for rent and rates rebates, and may be allocated premises in public housing estates.

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