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(b)
Secondly, the age structure of the population
is not static. The number of children in a
given age group will vary over time. A bulge
in the number of primary school children will
be followed later by a bulge in the number of
secondary school children and it is not
possible to expand and contract physical supply
in line with these variations.
(c) Thirdly, the geographical distribution of the
population will also vary over time, so that a
movement of population into the New Territories
will result in increased demand there, coupled
with decreased demand in the Urban Area.
Given, moreover, that the age structure of
these new communities is often highly atypical,
the accurate planning of school provision is
extremely difficult.
3.
The objective is not so much to balance the
supply of and demand for secondary places on a District
basis, which would be extremely costly, as to minimise the
amount of travelling time for students overall. Work is
in hand on a computer model which should provide much
better information on the desirable location of new
schools and of schools reprovisioned from areas of surplus
supply. This will enable us, over time, to achieve a
over