Secondary Schools

There are five types of secondary schools by curriculum: grammar,
technical, prevocational, practical and skills opportunity schools. The first
three types of schools offer five-year secondary courses leading to the
HKCEE but with different emphases to cater for the different needs of
students. Most of them also offer a two-year sixth-form course leading to
the HKALE.

In September 1997, the 422 grammar schools had a total enrolment of
410 081. The 19 technical schools, which put an emphasis on technical
and commercial subjects, had an enrolment of 19 496. The 27
prevocational schools, which provide a secondary curriculum with a
larger proportion of technical and practical content for students with
aptitudes or inclinations for these subjects, had 22 988 enrolled.

The government recently completed a review of prevocational and
secondary technical education and will implement the recommendations
by phases to keep the education provided in these schools in step with the
changing needs of the community. Qualified students who complete
Secondary 5 in these schools can continue their studies in the sixth-form
or in courses offered by technical colleges or technical institutes.

The three practical schools, which offer a curriculum with a practical
orientation and strong guidance support, had an enrolment of 847 in
September 1997. They offer a three-year junior secondary education to
help students develop their interest in and motivation towards studies, and
prepare them for further studies in vocational training, senior secondary
education or employment. The four skills opportunity schools, which
offer a three-year tailor-made and skills-orientated curriculum to help
students with learning difficulties to acquire basic social and vocational
skills, had an enrolment of 762 in September 1997.

Secondary 3 leavers are selected for subsidised places in Secondary 4 or
basic craft courses, according to internal school assessments and parental
preference. In 1997, 80 268 students took part in the selection exercise,
of whom 68 570 (85.4 per cent) secured Secondary 4 places in public
sector schools, and 4 006 (5 per cent) were admitted to basic craft
courses. Admission to subsidised places in Secondary 6 depends on
results in the HKCEE. The 1997-98 school year had 24 140 subsidised
Secondary 6 places.

As with the primary level, the government makes constant efforts to
improve designs for secondary schools and has been carrying out
improvement works to existing secondary schools under the School
Improvement Programme since 1994. By September 1997, 59 secondary
schools had been provided with additional rooms and facilities under the
programme.

The teacher-to-class ratio in government and aided secondary schools is
1.3:1 in Secondary 1 to 5, and 2:1 in the sixth-form. Additional teachers
are supplied to strengthen language teaching; to provide remedial teaching,
careers guidance, counselling, extra-curricular activities and library
services; and to enable split-class teaching of cultural, craft and technical
subjects, as well as some sixth-form subjects. The ratio of graduate to
non-graduate teachers is about 7:3. The student/teacher ratio is about
19.5:1.

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 1997 Reading Award
Scheme for Secondary 1 to 5 attracted 38 000 students from 200
secondary schools.

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