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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1974.
GOVERNMENT URGED NOT TO CUT PLANS FOR SOCIAL SERVICES
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THE GOVERNMENT IS URGED NOT TO CUT BACK IN THE PLANS FOR SOCIAL SERVICES WHICH ARE YET TO DE IMPLEMENTED EVEN IF MORE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS ARISE.
IN MAKING THE APPEAL IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY, MISS KO SIU WAH EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT LONG TERM PLANS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WOULD STILL DE .THE +GOAL OF OUR WORK AND OUR PLANS+.
MISS KO DEPLORED THE SALE OF COMIC BOOKS WHICH SHE DESCRIBED AS UNHEALTHY, DAMAGING AND DANGEROUS.
THESE BOCKS, SHE SAID, COULD LEAD CHILDREN AND YOUNGSTERS TO IMITATIVE BEHAVIOUR WHEN THEY WERE STILL UNABLE TO JUDGE WHAT WAS GOOD AND WHAT WAS BAD.
MISS KC FELT THAT STRONG MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN TO SUPPRESS THESE COMIC BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.
SHE URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE PRESENT INDECENT EXHIBITION ORDINANCE AS ONE OF THE URGENT AND PRACTICAL WAYS TO · TACKLE SOME OF THE ROOTS OF SOCIAL EVILt.
TURNING TO THE 12-13 AGE GROUP, HISS KO SAID, THAT BASED ON THE 1971 CENSUS, THERE WERE ABCUT 20,900 SUCH CHILDREN, WHO ARE NOW NOT STUDYING IN SCHOOL AND WHO ARE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO WORK.
FOR THIS CATEGORY OF CHILDREN, SHE SUGGESTED THE SETTING UP OF A SPECIAL PROGRAMME, AS A TEMPORARY MEASURE, COVERING CRAFT TRAINING, INFORMAL LEARNING, GROUP ACTIVITIES, INDIVIDUAL GUIDANCE CR COUNSELLING SERVICES.
MISS KO EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK.
+IN THE PRESENT SITUATION IN HONG KONG,+ SHE SAID,+MANY TEACHERS ARE FAR TOO EUSY WITH THE TEACHING ASPECT AND HAVE THEREFORE NO TIME TO DEAL WITH THE STUDENTS' PROBLEMS, BE THEY SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, EMOTIONAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL.+
HOWEVER, SHE SAID THAT WITH SPECIAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE IN DEALING WITH HUMAN PROBLEMS, 5THE SOCIAL WORKERS WOULD BE ABLE TO ASSIST IN THE HANDLING OF SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND FAMILY PROBLEMS OF THE STUDENTS WHICH AFFECT THEIR LEARNING IN SCHOOL.
MISS KO BELIEVED THAT WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK, THE RAPID GROWTH OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, ESPECIALLY IN SOME CONGESTED PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES, COULD BE PREVENTED AND REDUCED MORE EASILY.
REFERRING TO EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, SHE SAID: +ACCORDING TO THE SOCIAL WELFARE FIVE YEAR PLAN,'ABOUT 100 MORE CHILDREN AND YOUTH CENTRES WILL BE COMPLETED IN THE NEXT FIVE YEAR.+ RECE RECHERY No.52 - 8 NOV 1974
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HICK
/SHE EXPRESSED