1 Dr. LAM (in Cantonese): Sir, the following figures are sufficient
to show the importance of young people to Hong Kong.
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There are
3 1.4 million young people between the ages of 10 and 25; working
per cent youths between the ages of 15 and 25 account for 32% of Hong Kong's total labour force. A youth policy is necessary to deal with the important question of how to tap the rich source
lange number of talent involving such a figure of young people. The Central Committee on Youth in its Report on Youth Policy places at the top of the list of principles to be considered the item: To Maximise Opportunities and Facilities for Formal and Informal Education. On the point of view of
step
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priority, education is indeed important way to develop youth potential. In the face of economic change, the role
which slives as an important part in youth policies formulation should be in live it! education/plays should be adapted to suit social development.
the society and
It should provide manpower to enable an educated public to adapt to life in the community and prepare them for
employment.
Education in Hong Kong now obviously falls short of that 20 objective. Secondary education is mainly focused on training
students through grammar schools for the tertiary sector and
The adverse later for professions or managerial posts. consequences of such undiversified secondary education
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to train students for post-secondary level. are obvious. Nine years of free education and more senior secondary
youths
ejare
places have meant that more are receiving tertiary-oriented secondary education. Young people are full of hope especially
However, the reality is that in the secondary education phase, but, only a very small minority of them can enter tertiary institutes and those who that fail are branded with the mark of failure.
zxamination
Failure of
the exam institutionize and reationalites their inferior status. What saddens many is apart from the failure to what
saddens then most is that enter tertiary institut
titutes, many of these young people find that they are ill-equipped for their employment. They find that their secondary education has not fully prepared them for anything other than tertiary education and that there is
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