ENG-2015 — Page 157

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Education

implement this submitted its report in May 2015. The bureau will take the committee's recommendations and the public's views into account in formulating a new policy and specific measures to provide good-quality kindergarten education.

Primary Education

Six years' free education is provided for students in public-sector primary schools. Primary education starts when a child is aged around six. In September 2015, a total of 273,006 children were enrolled in 454 public-sector primary schools (34 government schools and 420 aided schools). In addition, 21 Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) primary schools offered 15,862 school places and 53 private primary schools offered 36,164 school places.

Admissions to Primary 1 (the first year of primary education) in public-sector schools are administered through the centralised Primary One Admission System, divided into two stages: the Discretionary Places Admission (DP) stage and the Central Allocation (CA) stage. Each primary school will earmark about 50 per cent of its Primary 1 places as discretionary places. During the DP stage, parents may apply to only one government or aided school in or outside the school catchment area (or 'school net, as it is known in Hong Kong) in which they reside. The remaining 50 per cent of Primary 1 places are for CA and 10 per cent of these are for Unrestricted School Choices. Parents may choose up to three schools from any school nets for their child. The remaining 90 per cent of CA places are for Restricted School Choices. Parents should select primary schools in their school net in order of preference.

Secondary Education

Six years' free education is also provided for students in public-sector secondary schools. In September 2015, a total of 282,525 students were enrolled in 393 public-sector secondary schools (360 aided schools, 31 government schools and two caput schools that are subsidised according to the number of students admitted). In addition, there were 61 DSS secondary schools offering 57,340 school places and 22 private secondary schools offering 7,761 school places.

Since September 2009, all students can now benefit from three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education leading to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination.

Subsidised Secondary 1 (the first year of secondary education) places are allocated through the Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) System, divided into two stages: the Discretionary Places stage and the Central Allocation (CA) stage. Participating secondary schools can reserve not more than 30 per cent of their Secondary 1 places as discretionary places and parents may apply for their child direct to not more than two secondary schools participating in the SSPA System in any districts. After the deduction of repeater and discretionary places, the secondary schools' remaining places are used for CA. Of the CA places, 10 per cent are for Unrestricted School Choices and parents may choose not more than three schools from any school net for their child. The remaining 90 per cent of CA places are for Restricted School Choices. Parents can choose a maximum of 30 schools from the school net to which their child belongs.

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