8
Thursday, December 7, 1972
POLICY ON BASIC QUALIFICATIONS FOR A.S.W.O. EXPLAINED
The Social Welfare Department has begun to implement the 1971
recommendation of the Salaries Commission that the basic academic
qualification for entry to the Assistant Social Welfare Officer grade
should be a university degree in social work.
"Accordingly, "said Mr. Thomas C.Y. Lee, Deputy Director of
Social Welfare, "only applications from graduates with a degree in social
work from a recognised university can be considered."
He was commenting on a statement by some students of the Baptist
College that the Social Welfare Department was discriminating against them.
"These Baptist College students appear to take the view that
they should be recognised as the equivaient of university graduates,'
Mr. Lee said, "but the College does not, in fact, at present possess university
status."
He explained that as of now Baptist College graduates in social
work were accepted into the Department as Welfare Assistants and Welfare
Supervisors with good promotion prospects to the grade of Principal
Welfare Assistants and Principal Welfare Supervisors.
Baptist College social work graduates were not treated as halders
of school certificates because, on entry into the Department, their
additional qualifications were recognised so that they could get a higher
starting salary.
"It is