PONTO
SUNDAY MIRROR
Cutting dated
Scared
What was the name of the factory that em- ployed him ? "It hasn't a name," he said.
"
What was the address? "I can't remember.' The headmaster turned to me:"Please under- stand, he is frightened, you'll report his factory to the Government and. that he will lose his job." Margaret Lam, an American trained Chinese social worker. told me: Many of the I've met in factories say they want to go to school. But it's hard to persuade some parents to send them.
children
++
Because even if the youngsters go through primary school, they have little hope of going on to secondary school. They will end up in a factory.
The parents say to me: What's the point ? They might as well start earning now.""
The cost of schooling (about 2s. 10d. a month in Government primary schools and free in some cases) deters many parents from enrolling their children.
But it is the loss of
their children's earnings that is usually th deciding factor.
Even if the parents of all the children could afford to send them to school, there wouldn't be ~enough places,
The Education Depart- ment claims that by the end of this year, short- age of classroom places will be overcome.
Such a claim is not easy to understand as the Department admits does not know how many children of primary school age are not in school. Estimates put the figure at over 80,000.
No one seems to know how many children under fourteen are working.
A 1966 census puts the figure at 42,960.
15 FEB 1970.
Failure
Many who have to work, do so because of the Hong Kong Govern- ment's failure to provide proper welfare facilities.
Can а British Government really be this callous towards ex- ploited children?
-
run
A firm denial comes from Her Majesty's Governor in Hong Kong, Sir David Trench:
"The memory of Hong Kong's delightful child-. ren and intelligent, lively young people will be one of the things which stay with me longest.
E4
What we do is essen- tially for the future and for them, even though` they may sometimes find this hard to believe."
He scarcely made it any easier for them to believe when he said in the same speech:
"I have doubts about the wisdom of making primary education free anywhere, and the gravest doubts about the practicality of making it effectively compulsory in - our present circum-
stances.".
Perhaps the time has come for Foreign Secre- tary Michael Stewart to tell Sir David that his doubts about free and compulsory education for young children are not shared by the British people.
NEXT SUNDAY When 'Made in
Hong Kong' can mean danger
:
19
›
: