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6.
(b)
re "education"
Hong Kong has done very well indeed in providing compulsory and free education at the primary level and progressively into the secondary/matriculation levels, Hong Kong is comparable to, if not better than, UK. (Again Alfred agreed but then proceeded to amplify as follows in para 6.)
He thought that the Hong Kong Government had provided well for the education "system" but he was concerned about "attitudes", eg teachers being "directional" and exam- conscious. Our response was that, regrettably, parents and students in Hong Kong would expect teachers to be like that. However, certainly the public, and increasingly the private, sector in Hong Kong would now look to recruit not so much the good scholar with academic successes but rather people with a proven record of voluntary/community service in addition to a sound education.
7. Perhaps a little hard on Alfred CHAN but necessary to steer his thinking into perspective: the point was made to him that whilst he and his fellow-members in the Group were well-motivated and well-intentioned, they suffered from a lack of knowledge about presentday Hong Kong. Most, if not all, of them would have been away from Hong Kong for many years; and even those who bothered to go home would stay only briefly and therefore could hardly get to know the real Hong Kong. At this point, the exchange was interruped by other guests attending the reception and so the conversation had to stop.
8.
We will continue to follow the activities of Alfred CHAN and in particular the Action Group. Should anything of significance arise, we will report again.
"
HCPLY/jf cc FCO/HKD LO/E
Helen CP Lai YU for Commissioner