6
Wednesday, October 17, 1973
I have been interested to see recent discussion on the role of
English in our schools. The Board has quite separately recommended that
Chinese should become the usual medium of instruction for lower formS
of secondary schools. In keeping with this the Board also recommende
that the early years of secondary education should as far as possible
be based on a common core of instruction irrespective of the type of school.
As we have already achieved free primary education, the Board
was invited to advise on the extent to which secondary education should
be free, in the present circumstances of Hong Kong. The Board endorsed
existing Government policy that no child should be denied a place in a
Government or assisted secondary school on financial grounds, and concluded that
within the present fee structure and fee-remission scheme there is adequate
provision to ensure this aim, and that in the present circumstances of Hong
Kong there is no compelling need at present to provide free education
in the lower secondary ranges for those able to pay the highly subsidised
fees. The Board nevertheless recommended that the possibility of free
education should be kept under regular review.
I am extremely grateful to the Board for the work they have done.
Fer be it from me to comment on it. It is most reassuring to have this corpus
of expert opinion as a basis for planning the further expansion of secondary
education. The Government proposes to follow a similar procedure with this
report as with that on the 5-year Plan for Social Welfare last year. It will
table the report in this Council forthwith as a Green Paper. After Honourable
Members have expressed their views, an adequate period will be allowed for the
/public and.............