In Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, compulsory and free primary education is a fundamental right which children enjoy. It is only in Hong Kong, which paradoxically has the highest per capita income (estimated at HK$4,200 or about £300 per head) in Asia next to Japan, that the children do not have the right of compulsory and free primary education. If compulsory primary education was introduced in the United Kingdom 94 years ago in 1876, why is this right to a primary education denied all children in Hong Kong in this second half of the 20th Century?
To illustrate the urgent need for a positive stand to be taken by the Hong Kong Government: The community in Hong Kong is becoming more deeply concerned with the rate of juvenile delinquency, which according to some responsible social workers will worsen during the next few years before any improvement is noticed. Many of the young people who are today involved in crimes and drug addiction have either not had any education at all or were unable to complete their primary education.
FAMILY EDUCATION ASSISTANCE SCHEME REQUIRED
In the Annual Budget Speech made by the Director of Education in Legislative Council on March 25, 1970, he stated that "compulsory attendance at primary schools cannot however come until we are certain that we have a sufficiency of places and that the places are sufficiently spread. According to our information, there are sufficient places available and in fact, there are even more places available than are actually needed. The real problem is that the Hong Kong Government does not wish to provide a Family Education Assistance Scheme for those very low income families who must make their children work or stay at home for economic reasons.
The 11 voluntary agencies which for many years have been providing the families of 24,904 children with monthly family educational allowances have done an excellent job in an area which the Government, perhaps due to lack of commitment and administrative thrust, has so far refused to shoulder its share of the responsibility.
The Hong Kong Government should now match the efforts of the 11 voluntary agencies by allocating the estimated $12 million (£830,500) which is annually collected in school fees in Government and aided primary schools for the purpose of expanding the work done by these 11 voluntary agencies.
For those families who can afford to send their children to a private primary school, they should of course be at liberty to do so providing they are willing to pay the school fees and are able to satisfy the Education Department that their children will complete primary education.
FOREIGN & COMMONWEALTH OFFICE RESPONSIBILITY
In the past, Foreign & Commonwealth Office Officials often used the excuse that distance prevented them from taking more decisive action on initiating progressive reforms in Hong Kong. Since a system of quarterly consultations between top key officials of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Hong Kong Government has recently been introduced, the Civic Association holds the view that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office should from now on share equal responsibility (and blame) for major administrative defects as and when discovered.
Insofar as Compulsory Primary Education for Hong Kong is concerned, it is time that the Foreign Secretary and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office take a greater interest in depth in the problem.