WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1974
MP VISIT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
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MR. KENNETH CLARKE, ONE OF THE TWO VISITING CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, THIS AFTERNOON WENT TO THE EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION CENTRE IN BROADCAST DRIVE AND THE TAI LAM ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRE WHERE HE WATCHED SOME INMATES ATTENDING ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES.
IN THE EVENING MR. CLARKE WAS JOINED BY HIS COLLEAGUE, MR. PETER HORDERN, AT THE FUK WING STREET ADULT EDUCATION AND RECREATION CENTRE WHERE THEY SAW SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THERE.
AT E.T.V., MR. CLARKE WAS BRIEFED AND TAKEN ROUND THE STUDIOS BY THE ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (ETV), MR. SUN PING-SHU WHO TOLD HIM THAT MORE THAN 300,000 PRIMARY PUPILS HAD BENEFITED FROM E.T.V. SINCE THE SERVICE BEGAN IN SEPTEMBER 1971.
IT IS PLANNED TO EXTEND E.T.Y. TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS WITH AN EVENTUAL AUDIENCE IN THE REGION OF 500,000 CHILDREN.
MR. CLARKE WAS ACCOMPANIED TO TAI, LAM BY THE ACTING SENIOR EDUCATION OFFICER CADULT EDUCATION), MR. TANG CHUN-SING.
MR. TANG TOLD MR. CLARKE THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PRISONS DEPARTMENT, ORGANISED ELEMENTARY ENGLISH COURSES FROM PRIMARY 6 TO THE FORM 2 LEVEL FOR SOME OF THE INMATES. AT THE TAI LAM ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRE. THE INMATES ALSO ATTEND ADULT EDUCATION GENERAL BACKGROUND COURSES AS WELL AS ABACUS ARITHMETIC.
THE COURSES ARE ATTENDED THREE EVENINGS A WEEK BY 210 INMATES, MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF THE TOTAL INMATES AT THE TREATMENT CENTRE. THIS ADULT EDUCATION CENTRE WAS OPENED IN MAY 1966.
AT THE TAI LAM CENTRE FOR WOMEN, 70 INMATES ARE ENROLLED FOR COURSES IN LETTER WRITING, CHINESE AND ENGLISH. THEY ATTEND CLASSES TWO EVENINGS A WEEK. THE COURSES FOR THE WOMEN INMATES WERE STARTED IN 1957 IN THE FORMER LAI CHI KOK WOMEN'S PRISON.
MR. CLARKE WAS INFORMED THAT 94 INMATES AT STANLEY PRISON WERE ENROLLED FOR COURSES ON ADVERTISING DESIGN, ENGLISH, CHINESE AND ABACUS ARITHMETIC.
AT CHI MA WAN PRISON 14 INMATES ATTEND CHINESE AND ENGLISH COURSES AS WELL AS ABACUS ARITHMETIC WHILE ANOTHER 72 INMATES AT THE MA PO PING ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRE UNDERGO SIMILAR COURSES.
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FROM TAI LAM