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Type Veh. No. Maint Cost in-service Year No. of Shift VOR (in terms of shift) per day Bedford UC 428 $17,247 5 17 1 Bedford 432 $40,303 5 65 1 Bedford 437 $14,511 5 21 Bedford 440 $13,809 5 13 1 Bedford 446 $22,847 5 35 1 Isuzu 2504 $12,974 3 26 1 Isuzu 2508 $12,892 3 18 1 Isuzu 2509 $13,533 3 15 1 Isuzu 2538 $13,753 3 10 1 Bedford 378 $10,665 7 56 (5) 1MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to express my opinions about certain aspects of the education in Hong Kong.
1. School Medical Service
In September 1988, the government suddenly implemented a new school medical scheme. Apparently the decision was made without taking into consideration the hardship the scheme would bring to school authorities, parents and doctors. The school authorities and the doctors concerned were not even consulted before the implementation. The scheme was solely determined by the small pool of opinionated School Medical Service Board members behind closed doors and, once announced, became mandatory. Barely have three months passed when the newly enforced scheme runs into complete mess and confusion, and fiery complaints and discontent arise among parents, school authorities and the doctors concerned. If the authorities were to persist in its imperious and stubborn attitude, the efficiency of the medical service would definitely be hampered.
The original objective of the medical service, under which each student pays $10 and the government subsidizes $65, is very desirable indeed. However, as time goes by, social conditions have changed and the public has generally become much better off financially. It is absolutely necessary, therefore, to review this system of undiscriminatory medical subsidy.
If the government truly regards school medical service as a form of social welfare instead of social relief, then it had better change the school medical service into medical insurance. It should, by means of legislation, require all students to take out medical insurance and medical practitioners throughout the territory to participate in the scheme with a fair quota allotted to each of them. Only in this way would medical practitioners be willing to join the scheme and students be able to enjoy the real benefits of the medical service.
Besides, if the government wishes to avoid spending an enormous expenditure on the scheme it should adopt the same measures as used in the Student Travel Scheme, only allowing students from less affluent families to apply. The money saved could then be used to increase the subsidy given to the doctors concerned. If not, then the government might abolish the whole scheme just as well.
2. Enlarging the scope of subsidy to non-profit-making kindergartens
Nowadays, kindergarten education is generally valued and viewed by the public as an indispensable part of school education. The government, therefore, should envelop kindergarten education into the domain of formal education, develop it positively and enlarge the scope of subsidy gradually. Apart from subsidizing the students in tuition fees and the kindergartens in rent and rates, the government should also consider, as early as possible, granting subsidies to non-profit-making kindergartens to pay for the teachers' salaries so as to attract well-qualified people to take up teaching work in kindergartens as their lifelong career.
3. Pornographic comic books are doing harm to children
At present, cartoon and comic books rental stores can be found almost everywhere in the territory. According to a sampling survey, it is discovered that many of such books contain elements of horror, violence, sex and undesirable themes which mislead the growing children. After reading these books the children may slack off and even go astray.
I had raised this issue in the District Fight Crime Committee but regrettably the Police, the Education Department and the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority find it difficult to tackle this problem effectively. In order to protect our children from falling victim to these objectionable books, the government departments concerned should impose effective control on and, if necessary, ban all these bookstores which rent out books that are harmful to our children and counteract education.
4. Tax Allowance for Overseas education
Due to the fact that there are insufficient places in our post-secondary institutions and universities here, quite a large number of students have to continue their studies abroad. According to conservative estimate, it needs $60,000 to $100,000 each year to support a student studying overseas. Such is a heavy burden to the students' parents. To show some support to them, to enhance the sense of belonging among these overseas students and to encourage them to return and serve the community after graduation, it would be appropriate for the Government to consider offering these families some tax allowance on the money spent to support each overseas student. It is unfair to these parents who pay tax to the Hong Kong Government but their children cannot have the chance to receive government-subsidized tertiary education here. In view of this, I suggest that the government should consider offering financial assistance to the overseas students from Hong Kong by way of tax exemption.
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