Wednesday, March 6, 1974
BRIDGING THE EDUCATION GAP
More Intensive Use Of School Buildings Needed Says Mr. Bray
A number of schemes are being considered to bridge the "education gap" for ohildren in the 12-14 age group, the Secretary for Home Affairs
and Information, Mr. Denis Bray, disclosed today.
The education gap, he told members of the Hong Kong Soroptimist Club, "is the biggest we know of" in services for youth and it would
not be easy to fill it quickly.
It he said. "No real impact can be made in less than about five years, "If we sweat at imaginative and ingenious schemes we might do something
mildly useful in about five years.
ti
He added, however, that if we went remorselessly for temporary ways of using school buildings more intensively, we could kill this
where they belong problem in five years by having the kids in school --
anyway.
No alternative programme would yield results more quickly than more intensive use of school buildings during the period when school
building caught up with increased teacher training.
Hr. Bray pointed out that if school places could not be found for children aged 12 to 14, "there is precious little that can really be done
for them. 11
"If we insist on using secondary school buildings as they are used now thon tens of thousands of children will be turned out to face
life as best they can at the age of 12."
/At present,