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5. The Civic Association has continuously urged that the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office should allow two elected Urban Councillors to sit on the ~islative Council
especially since this is within the present broad framework of the existing
constitutional structure of Hong Kong; when can a decision be taken on this proposal?
At the
6. There is overwhelming public support for the Hong Kong Government to plan for nine
years of compulsory education, hopefully by 1975. The Hong Kong Government has taken
the first step by announcing a week ago that it will have free primary education in 1971, together with some form of "compulsion" in the case of irresponsible parents who "appear to be unnecessarily withholding their children from primary school."
same time, it is anticipated that the Social Welfare Department will give financial
Ve assistance to any under-privileged families whose children cannot go to primary school because of insufficient family income. Therefore, it is desirable now to look further ahead and for the Hong Kong Government to accept in principle that by 1975 there should be 9 years of education for all Hong Kong children, to be compulsory in a manner suited to sucial and economic conditions in Hong Kong. If this principle is acceted, plans could be prepared for the right proportion of vocational and technical education, together with Grammar-school type of education, as well as the pole private schools could play in such plans.
7. The Hong Kong Civic Association urge the Under-Secretary of State to look into these two matters which are of such significant importance to the future progress and orderly development of Hong Kong. The problems of young people, centering around increasing marcotic addiction, juvenile crimes, and insufficient educational opportunity before the statutory age of industrial employment, are of deep concern to local community leaders. By expanding the Urban Council's membership and scope, and by having a bolder educational policy, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be taking far-reaching measures to give more local community leaders the chance to participate fully and to create a brighter future for the young people of Hong Kong.
Aceneonhen
Hilton Cheong-Leen Chairman