CONFIDENTIAL
6. Could free primary education be an effective weapon against the spread of the communist effort in the educational field? This is a point the Minister may wish to discuss with the Governor. Communist schools charge fees the general level of which is below those charged in private schools but above the fees in Government and aided schools. They also have fee remission arrangements. For them to compete with free education in other schools might strain their resources and hamper their expansion; if finance was not a consideration for them, they would doubtless have sought before now to steal a march on the Government by offering free facilities. Thus the introduction of free primary education might cause con- sternation in communist circles. Equally it might be regarded locally and in Peking as provocative; but it would be a diffi- cult issue for them on which to show their displeasure. The possibility is that, if they hit back, they would go the whole hog and offer free secondary facilities as well as primary a course which the Government would undoubtedly find it diffi-
cult to follow.
7.
The fact is that the communist schools have a captive clientele in the families of active supporters, trade union members and employees of communist concerns. Against the forms of pressure and persuasion that can be brought to bear, Government measures to wean parents from sending their children to communist schools are unlikely to succeed. Conversely there is no evidence that communist schools are at the present time attracting children from non-communist families except perhaps in a few areas where other facilities may be inadequate (and it is present policy to plug any such gaps as a matter of priority); inferior educational standards in communist curricula could probably be relied upon to deter most non-communists from sending their children to these
schools even if free facilities were offered.
Secondary Education
8. There has been steady progress (see enrolment figures annexed) and there is now roughly one secondary/secondary technical place for every three primary places.
Given the
CONFIDENTIAL
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