ENG-2000 — Page 195

EDUCATION

practical schools and skills opportunity schools. It recommended the mainstreaming of all practical schools and the combination of some skills opportunity schools, with a view to mainstreaming in the long run. Its recommendation has been endorsed by the BOE.

Secondary 3 leavers are selected for subsidised places in Secondary 4 or basic craft courses, according to internal school assessments and parental preference. In 2000, 76 906 students took part in the selection exercise, of whom 67 783 (88.1 per cent) secured Secondary 4 places in public sector schools, and 3 071 (4.0 per cent) were admitted to basic craft courses. HKCEE candidates applied for subsidised Secondary 6 places according to an established Secondary 6 admission procedure. The 2000-01 school year had 23 814 subsidised Secondary 6 places.

Starting from the 2002-03 school year, all Secondary 3 students from public sector schools who have the ability and wish to continue with their study will be given the opportunity to receive subsidised Secondary 4 education or vocational training. The Government plans to provide an additional 6 000 places at the Secondary 4 level before the 2003-04 school year.

The student-to-teacher ratio is about 19:1. Additional teachers are supplied to strengthen language teaching; to provide remedial teaching, career guidance, counselling, extra-curricular activities and library services; and to enable split-class teaching. The ratio of graduate to non-graduate teachers is about 7:3.

Each public sector secondary school has a library staffed by a teacher-librarian responsible for managing the school library and organising library activities for students. The 1999-2000 Reading Award Scheme for Secondary 1 to 5 attracted 60 00 students from 220 secondary schools.

School Building

The Government is committed to providing a quality learning and teaching environment in which young people can develop their full potential. Following extensive consultations, it has revised the designs for secondary and primary schools to provide improved facilities, to support, for example, the use of information technology and the enhancement of language training. The first batch of schools to adopt the year 2000 design started operation in September. The Government will continue to improve and develop more diversified school building designs. In this regard, the School Building Design Committee established under the Education Department, which includes practising architects and representatives of the school sector as its members, is exploring innovations in school building design that will provide a quality learning environment and flexibility in the use of space to suit individual circumstances. Steps will be taken to involve the private sector more in the Government's school building programme.

In order to bring facilities in existing schools (built to old planning standards) up to date for modern learning and teaching, a school improvement programme was started in 1994. So far, improvement works for 335 schools have been completed. The aim is to complete the programme covering some 900 schools by the 2004-05 school year.

Curriculum

In the context of the education reform and in line with the aims of education for the 21st century, the Curriculum Development Council (CDC) is conducting a holistic

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