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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1974
MAXIMUM POSSIBLE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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THE ULTIMATE AIM OF ENSURING MAXIMUM POSSIBLE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL YOUNG PEOPLE IN HONG KONG FULLY JUSTIFIES THE PROPOSED MEASURES SET OUT IN THE RECENTLY. PUBLISHED WHITE PAPER, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. KENNETH TOPLEY, SAID THIS EVENING.
SPEAKING AT THE SILVER JUBILEE SPEECH DAY OF ST. MARK'S SCHOOL IN SHAU KEI WAN, MR. TOPLEY SAID THAT PERHAPS THE MAJOR FEATURE OF THE WHITE PAPER WAS THE DECISION TO ACHIEVE THE MASSIVE SECONDARY EDUCATION EXPANSION TARGETS IN THE MINIMUM TIME POSSIBLE AND NOT TO ALLOW THE EXPANSION TO DEPEND ON THE BUILDING PROGRAMME ALONE.
AND SO THE IDEA OF EXTENDED DAY TIME-TABLES AND THE FLOATING OF CLASSES WAS BROUGHT INTO OPERATION.
HE EMPHASISED THAT THE SUCCESS OF THE PLANNED EXPANSION WAS THEREFORE GOING TO DEPEND ON THE ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT AND CO-OPERATION OF ALL.
+HIGH LEVELS OF TOLERANCE AMONG BOTH TEACHING STAFF AND STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED. MUCH ADAPTABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO EXPERIMENT WILL BE REQUIRED.
+IN SHORT, THE NEXT FEW YEARS ARE NOT GOING TO BE EASY. THERE WILL BE MANY DIFFICULTIES, MANY FRUSTRATIONS,+ THE DIRECTOR PREDICTED.
THE OLDER, LONGER ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS, WHICH MR. TOPLEY DESCRIBED AS THE KEYSTONES IN THIS EXPANSION, WOULD PROVIDE THE SECURE BASE ON WHICH THE EXPANSION WAS FOUNDED.
+IT WILL NOT BE EASY TO MAINTAIN STANDARDS IN THE FACE OF THE RAPID PHYSICAL GROWTH WHICH IS EXPECTED, BUT THESE STANDARDS MUST BE SECURED, IF NOT IMPROVED.
IN THIS, ST. MARK'S, AS ONE OF HONG KONG'S MATURE, SETTLED SCHOOLS, WOULD HAVE ITS CONTRIBUTION TO MAKE.
+1 AM CONFIDENT THAT WITH ITS SENSE OF COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY IT WILL DO SO WITH ALL THE EXPERTISE AND DETERMINATION IT HAS SHOWN OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS,+ THE DIRECTOR SAID.
HE COMPLIMENTED THE SCHOOL FOR THE IMPORTANCE IT PLACED ON CREATING AND MAINTAINING A STRONG CORPORATE LIFE WITHIN THE SCHOOL.
MR. TOPLEY ALSO REFERRED TO THE ENCOURAGEMENT BEING GIVEN TO STUDENTS TO PLAY AS ACTIVE A ROLE AS POSSIBLE WITHIN THAT LIFE.
/+THEY ARE ENCOURAGED