Speech by Mr. Kenneth Topley, Director of Education, in Legislative Council on 15 November, 1978.
Sir,
I am heartened to learn, from what Honourable Members said in this Council a fortnight ago, that they share the public's general approbation of the major proposals concerning education contained in your Address and in the White Paper on Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education. The White Paper's aim is to set down the main guidelines for the further development of education in Hong Kong in the next decade. I am grateful to Honourable Members for their comments on these guidelines and for focussing attention on particular areas which require special concern as we start putting our plans into action. I shall try to respond to some of Honourable Members' remarks and mention some of the things that we are or shall be doing in those areas about which concern has been expressed.
Miss Bennett has commented on the need to be alert to the dangers arising from too many changes in our education system. This is indeed true. Changes over the last few years have been rapid and many. Aware of this, the Education Department has already planned a programme of monitoring tests to be conducted by the Educational Research Establishment of the Advisory Inspectorate to measure changing trends. The programme consists of a series of tests administered at the Primary 2, Primary 6, Form I and Form III levels at two-year intervals. The first of these tests have already been given at the Primary 6 and Form I levels.
Miss Bennett's more specific comments on the term "free education" and its "special Hong Kong flavour", followed by her expression of concern over the possible adverse effects of proposals to abolish Tong Fai, are equally appreciated. It is partly because children are still required to buy their cwn textbooks, stationery and uniforms that my Department considers that Tong Fai as well as tuition fees in Forms I-III should be abolished in the vast majority of schools.
Moreover,