ENG-1992 — Page 159

EDUCATION

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part time courses. Of these, 118 attended a summer immersion programme in the United Kingdom. The ILE international conference in December, on the theme of language and content, attracted over 300 local and overseas scholars, and over 100 papers were delivered.

The four colleges and the ILE are run directly by the Education Department. By the year's end, preparations were in hand to implement the recommendation, in Education Commission Report No. 5, that the colleges and ILE should be upgraded into an auto- nomous Institute of Education.

Support Services

Teaching and learning in schools is backed up by a wide range of services, mostly provided or supported by the department.

The Advisory Inspectorate advises schools on curriculum, teaching methods and educational resources, and offers short courses, seminars and workshops for teachers. Its teaching and resource centres offer resources and advice to kindergarten, primary and secondary teachers in the areas of language, mathematics, science, social and cultural subjects, computer education, technical subjects, civic education, religious, ethical and moral education, sex education, and kindergarten teaching.

Changes to the student guidance service, to implement the 'whole school approach' recommended in Education Commission Report No. 4, began in September 1992, when --the first batch of aided primary schools were provided with their own student guidance teachers. The department's student guidance section provides training in student guidance at primary level, enforces compulsory education, and ensures an adequate provision of study room facilities.

Educational television programmes, produced jointly by the department and Radio Television Hong Kong, are transmitted to schools by the two local commercial television stations. Syllabus-based programmes for students in Secondary 1-to 3 cover Chinese language, English language, mathematics, social studies and science while those for pupils in Primary 3 to 6 cover the same five subjects plus health education. A new series of programmes, called Value of Life, was produced in response to the increased number of student suicides during the 1991-2 school year.

Starting in July, microcomputers began to be installed in government and aided schools to help in their administration work. By the year's end, computers were installed in 350 schools, and their staff trained to use the standard software including Chinese and English word processing, spreadsheet, and database packages. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 1993. In December, consultants delivered a plan for an informa- tion systems strategy, aimed at making better use of information technology to support the school education service.

The Hong Kong Teachers' Centre, established in 1989, promotes professionalism and a sense of unity among teachers. It is supervised by an advisory management committee with wide representation from schools, teacher organisations and educational bodies, and is staffed by the department. During the year, the centre organised or was associated with over 600 activities with 50 000 participants. The centre maintains a professional library and publishes news bulletins.

The department's Educational Research Establishment (ERE) conducts research, develops tests and monitors educational standards. During the year, the ERE completed