C.S. 166
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Chapter V is concerned mainly with putting forward re- commendations for improving teacher training, as it believes that a teaching force of better calibre is pre-requisite for raising the quality of school education. It believes that the most effective means of achieving this improvement would be by the introduction of a systematic programme for the in-service retraining of teachers who have been some years in the schools this was one of the principal recommenda- tions in the 1971 James Report in the UK. The Working Party re- commends that consideration should be given also to extending the pre-service training course from two to three years and, at a later date, to a system of induction training for new teachers to accompany their entry to the schools.
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Chapter VII, on higher education, is necessarily more cautious in its recommendations because of the autonomy of the institutions with which it is concerned. In both this Chapter and in Chapter VIII, proposals are put forward for the development of evening study programmes aimed primarily at adults.
Consultation
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Although the Working Party did not issue an invitation for evidence, as such public consultation was considered to be more appropriate to follow the publication of the Green Paper, various individuals were approached for advice and others volunteered tp submit views to the Working Party. The UPGC considered a draft of the Report during the visitation to Hong Kong in March, and they were in general satisfied with the recommendations concerning higher education.
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The Working Party's completed Report was considered by the Board of Education at its meeting on 6th and 13th June. In order to allow Honourable Members sufficient time to consider the Report and to discuss it at a date before the Director of Education goes on leave, this memorandum has been finalised before the Board's views are available. However, the Board's comments will be reported to Honourable Members by its Chairman (the Honourable Q. W. LEE) and by the Director of Education.
Further action
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The Working Party's Report has been prepared as a basis for consultation within Government and will not be published. As noted in paragraph 4 above, it has been envisaged that the Working Party's
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