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budget and could be accepted without a general rise in taxation especially as we have reserves that can be resorted to in case of necessity. I therefore propose and move that this Motion be amended by adding the words:
"And urges Government to make provision for free, compulsory, primary education in Hong Kong."
DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, I rise to second Mr. BERNACCHI'S amendment. I think from what Mr. CHEONG-LEEN himself has already said, that he will probably go along with this amendment. It is more or less in line with what he himself said he would like to have originally moved, but under the existing Standing Orders of this Council he was unable to do so.
I agree with what Mr. BERNACCHI has said, because we already know that there are vacant school places for the children, and that they are not being taken up although many of these places are free. Unless there is compulsion for these children to attend school, then places are going to remain vacant and the children are going to go uneducated. There are other problems which will arise because we do not know the reason why these free school places are not being taken up.
Whether it is for financial reasons, whether it is that they have to remain at home to look after younger brothers and sisters I do not know, and I think one of the very important things is that there should be figures produced, or reasons produced to show why these children are not attending school. I think the Director of Social Welfare would be able to produce figures of this sort, in conjunction with the census figures, which must show how many children under school age are at home and how many of school age, I think, not attending school, would probably also be in those census figures. If the reason is that the older ones have to stay and look after the younger ones, then there is also, as I have said before in this Council, an urgent need of nursery schools or crèches, day nurseries, where children can be left and cared for, not just dependent on voluntary agencies, who are already running many of these places, but run on a much larger scale, either by the Department of Social Welfare or even by the Education Department if necessary, or the two in conjunction. But at any rate, I would support Mr. BERNACCHI's amendment, because I cannot see that the original motion is going to do any good at all. We have been concerned about this for a very long time, but unless we urge Government to have compulsory, free education in addition to this, then the motion as it originally stands is quite worthless, so I second the amendment to the motion.
CHAIRMAN:- Before we proceed any further, on a point of order, Mr. BERNACCHI's amendment places this motion ultra vires.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Is that a ruling from the Chair, Mr. Chairman?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
CHAIRMAN:- Yes, that is my opinion from the Chair.
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MR. BERNACCHI:- Because, of course, the previous motion "we urge Government to make Whitfield Barracks available to us" is similar. So I query that by adding "and urges the Government to make provision for free compulsory primary education in Hong Kong", makes this motion ultra vires when it is the concern of this Council for primary age children in Resettlement Estates.
CHAIRMAN:- My explanation, Sir, is that the Whitfield Barracks motion referred to a matter within the competence and jurisdiction of this Council, namely, recreational facilities. This second motion, as now proposed to be amended by you, refers to education and education, as such, is not within the jurisdiction of this Council.
MR. BERNACCHI:- Without conceding your point, Mr. Chairman, I had anticipated it, and I would propose in the alternative to cut out "who are not attending school" and to insert instead "who are not given free compulsory primary education". The motion would then read "This Council is concerned about the number of primary age children in Resettlement Estates who are not given free, compulsory, primary education".
If
CHAIRMAN:- This amendment appears to me to be in order. Any Member wishes to speak, now is the opportunity, and Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN, as the proposer of the original motion, has a right of reply.
DR. BELL: May I second that further amended motion please, Mr. Chairman, to put it in order?
MR. WONG:- Mr. Chairman, I suppose we can speak on both the motion itself and the amendment, am I right?
CHAIRMAN:- Other Members have. (Laughter).
MR. WONG:- I would like to speak in support of both the motion and the amendment in general, that primary education for the children in Resettlement Estates, and perhaps in general, should be implemented as soon as possible. Everyone knows from the speech by His Excellency that free primary education is planned in five years' time. Compulsory primary education for Hong Kong will come into being in 1971. I have advocated that we take $30 million out of the reserve, and put the plan into immediate operation so that the free subsidized primary education plan as I understand it from the Director of Education it is free primary education can be put into effect as soon as money is available. I take it from the last remark of the Financial Secretary that there is no great opposition to that proposal.
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