ENG-1990 — Page 191

EDUCATION

organised for the first time. A number of training courses and workshops/seminars were organised for school librarians and class library teachers.

Community Youth Club

The Community Youth Club (CYC) was first established in 1977 as part of the Education Department's effort to build a strong community spirit among schoolchildren through organised activities. Its aims are summed up in its motto 'Learn, be concerned and serve'. About 280 000 members from 1002 primary and secondary schools took part in its activities. Up to the current year, 33 128 members have acquired awards of different levels under the CYC Merit Award Scheme. Nineteen outstanding members from primary schools and 22 outstanding members from secondary schools visited Singapore and Japan respectively during the summer holiday.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme

Of the scheme's 20 Operating Authorities in Hong Kong, that of the Education Department is the largest with 27446 members from 177 participating schools. Over 144 training courses of various kinds at bronze, silver and gold levels were organised throughout the year to cope with the increasing demand.

The Sister Schools Scheme

The Sister Schools Scheme was first started in 1981 under the auspices of the Lions Club International District 303. Ordinary schools and special schools are matched to promote social interaction and enduring friendship among students. In 1990, 42 special schools and 50 ordinary schools were made sister schools and approximately 20 000 pupils benefited from activities sponsored by the scheme.

Educational Television

Viewing of educational television (ETV) programmes has become a normal part of school life for pupils of Primary 3 to 6 and Secondary 1 to 3. ETV programmes are produced jointly by the department's Educational Television Section and Radio Television Hong Kong, serving as a useful audio-visual supplement to classroom teaching. They are trans- mitted to schools through the two local commercial television stations.

In the 1989-90 academic year, 864 syllabus-based ETV programmes, comprising 312 secondary programmes on Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science, and 552 primary programmes on these five subjects and Health Education, were broadcast to schools.

Special programmes on curriculum-related topics are produced from time to time. In 1989-90, two special series of Chinese Language programmes, incorporating elements of Civic Education and Moral Education respectively, were telecast for Secondary 1 students. To keep prospective Secondary 3 leavers informed of the various training opportunities provided in technical institutes and industrial training centres in Hong Kong, two special programmes were transmitted to secondary schools.

For reception of ETV programmes, all government, aided and private secondary schools with bought places, are provided with television equipment including colour television receivers and video-cassette recorders. In the financial year ending March 1990, $2.9 million was spent on the provision of television equipment to schools.

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