5
THE COURSE, HE SAID, WOULD HELP STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS, ASPIRATIONS AND IMPORTANCE OF HONG KONG AND ITS PEOPLE AND SHOW THEM HOW THEY, AS CITIZENS AND EMPLOYEES, WOULD FIT INTO THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND PLAY AN ACTIVE AND IMPORTANT PART IN ITS DEVELOPMENT.
MR. BROWN ANSWERED ACCUSATIONS MADE IN THE PAST THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY ENOUGH SUCH MATTERS AS DRUG EDUCATION, SEX EDUCATION AND NOW POPULATION EDUCATION.
+1 CAN UNDERSTAND THE VIEWPOINT OF OUR CRITICS, ALTHOUGH IN FACT A CAREFUL LOOK AT OUR PUBLISHED RECOMMENDED SYLLABUSES AND 'ESPECIALLY THE DRAFT SYLLABUSES NOT YET PUBLISHED WILL SHOW THAT
THESE TOPICS ARE IN FACT WELL COVERED.
+THE BASIC SNAG IS THAT THERE IS, QUITE RIGHTLY, NO COMPULSION
·ON SCHOOLS TO FOLLOW RECOMMENDED SYLLABUSES AND NO COMPULSION TO TAKE ANY PARTICULAR SUBJECT: AND IT HAPPENS THAT BY THEIR VERY NATURE THESE TOPICS TEND TO BE DEALT WITH UNDER SUBJECTS THAT MANY STUDENTS MAY NOT IN FACT, TAKE.+
„REFERRING TO THE TITLE OF HIS TALK – +POPULATION AWARENESS THROUGH FORMAL EDUCATION - MR. BROWN SAID HE HAD NOT FOLLOWED THE TITLE VERY CLOSELY SINCE HE HAD INCLUDED +INFORMAL+ EDUCATION IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE TOPIC PROPERLY.
IN ANY CASE HE FELT THAT THE WORK +FORMAL+ WAS UNFORTUNATE AS HE FIRMLY BELIEVED THAT EDUCATION IN HONG KONG WAS FAR TOO FORMAL.
+1 WOULD LIKE TO SEE DISCUSSION REPLACE FORMAL TEACHING, RE- SEARCH REPLACE HOMEWORK. 1 WOULD LIKE TO SEE STUDENTS' ACTIVITIES DOMINATING SOME OF THE LESSONS, AND A HIGH PROPORTION OF TIME SPENT IN THE ACCUMULATION OF STATISTICS FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF SOURCES.
+IN A STUDY OF THIS TYPE, WHAT IS LEARNED IS NOT OVERWHELMINGLY IMPORTANT, IT IS THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE WHICH IS OF MOST VALUE AND THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY THE STUDENT WILL HAVE A FAR MORE LASTING IMPACT THAN THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE TEACHER, ESPECIALLY TO THE ONE WHO CONTRIBUTES.+
MR. BROWN BELIEVED THAT THE MAIN OBJECT OF EDUCATION WAS TO INTEREST CHILDREN IN THE WORLD AROUND THEM, GIVE THEM A BACKGROUND OF USEFUL INFORMATION AND TEACH THEM HOW TO ACQUIRE MORE INFORMATION WHEN REQUIRED, AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, TO HELP THEM TO LEARN TO THINK OBJECTIVELY AND IMPARTIALLY AND KNOW WHEN THEY HAVE SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO FORM AN OPINION.
THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR DIVIDED POPULATION EDUCATION INTO FOUR MAIN AREAS OF STUDY.
· FIRST, A STUDY OF THE CAUSES UNDERLYING POPULATION DISTRIBU- TION AND GROWTH. SECOND, A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF OVER AND UNDER- POPULATION. THIRD, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THIS ANOTHER WORLD AND COMMUNITY PROBLEMS= AND FOURTH, TO GIVE SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE PART AN INDIVIDUAL CAN PLAY IN POPULATION CONTROL.
ON THE LAST POINT, MR. BROWN SAID: + MY OWN OPINION IS THAT IN SCHOOL CONSIDERATION OF THE CONTROL OF THE SIZE OF FAMILIES SHOULD BE RATHER LIGHTLY TOUCHED ON, PROBABLY BY REFERENCE TO THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON THIS SUBJECT, AND BY SOME DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK DONE BY THE FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION. +
16./......
E