ENG-1991 — Page 164

EDUCATION

Following recommendations of the Education Commission in its Report No. 3, the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) was introduced in 1991 to encourage a strong private school sector subsidised by the government, and improve the quality and diversity of education. Under the scheme private secondary schools meeting specified standards can receive a public subsidy for each student enrolled. They are free to decide their own curriculum, and to set entrance requirements and fee levels. In September, nine schools were admitted to the scheme.

As part of the same policy package the BPS will end in the year 2000. Schools in the scheme will be helped before then to raise their standards as far as possible to those of the aided sector, so that if they wish they may apply for the DSS. In September 1990, 20 private schools entered into contracts with the government which specified various areas to be improved in the school, including whole day operation, class structure, teacher qualifications and school facilities. The contracts will expire in August 2001, unless terminated earlier by either party.

The Junior Secondary Education Assessment system allocates eligible students to subsidised Secondary 4 places. Introduced in 1981, it was revised in 1988 to remove the need for students to sit a public scaling test. Instead, as many eligible students as possible are enabled to progress within the same school, while the remainder are allocated centrally, according to parental choice, to other schools with vacant places. Eligibility is based on the student's performance in internal school assessments. As an alternative, students may choose to attend a post-Secondary 3 craft course of vocational training. During the year, 75 068 Secondary 3 leavers made use of the system, of whom 63 923 (85.2 per cent) were offered Secondary 4 places in the public sector and 5 494 (7.3 per cent) were admitted to craft courses.

A new scheme was introduced in September to ensure that all sixth form places were filled, and to encourage schools to give priority to their own students before admitting those from other schools. A total of 19 200 places were filled, an increase of 3 937 on the

previous year.

There are three types of secondary school: grammar, technical and prevocational. In 1991, there were 397 grammar schools with an enrolment of 395 401. They offer a broad 5-year course of academic, cultural and practical subjects leading to the HKCEE. Most offer also a two-year sixth form course leading to the Hong Kong A-Level examination.

The 22 technical schools had an enrolment of 21 959. These prepare students for the HKCEE with an emphasis on technical and commercial subjects. Qualified candidates can continue their studies in the sixth form or in technical institutes.

The 23 prevocational schools had an enrolment of 18 979. In these schools, students with an aptitude for practical and technical subjects' are given a solid foundation of general knowledge and an introduction to technical and practical education on which future vocational training can be based. Students completing Secondary 3 in a prevocational school may enter approved apprenticeship schemes with an exemption from the first year of craft training, or may continue to the senior secondary course and the HKCEE. Qualified candidates can then continue their studies in polytechnics or technical institutes. In 1992, some prevocational schools will begin to offer sixth form classes.

The aim of the junior secondary curriculum in grammar and technical schools is to provide a well-balanced and basic education suitable for all students at this level, whether or not they continue formal education beyond the age of 15. The common core of studies,

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