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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1974
GREATER CO-OPERATION IN EDUCATION SERVICES NEEDED ******
A CALL FOR GREATER UNITY OF THE TEACHING PROFESSION AND GREATER CO-OPERATION BETWEEN ALL PARTIES IN THE EDUCATION SERVICE WAS MADE BY THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (ADMINISTRATION), MR. CHARLES LOWE, AT THE SPEECH DAY OF LA. SALLE COLLEGE THIS EVENING.
MR. LOWE WAS ECHOING THE CALL IN AN ARTICLE IN EN ENGLISH EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL BY A FAMOUS EDUCATIONIST, LORD ALEXANDER.
*THIS IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IN HONG KONG IF WE ARE TO MEET THE CHALLENGE OF THE WHITE PAPER. IT WILL MAKE A TREMENDOUS CHANGE IN OUR SCHOOLS BUT WE MUST NOT LET THE FAINT HEARTS ANXIOUS FOR ANY EXCUSE TO DUCK THE ISSUE, CONFUSE THE BASIC DECISION TO ACHIEVE THE AIMS OR OPT OUT BY CONCENTRATING THEIR FIRE ON THE OTHER ISSUES RAISED IN THE WHITE PAPER,+ MR. LOWE SAID.
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR SAID THAT IN HIS VIEW THE OBJECTIVES OF THE WHITE PAPER MUST BE PURSUED WITH VIGOUR AND DETERMINATION BY THE SCHOOLS AND THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
HE EMPHASISED IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE, IF NOT CRIMINAL, TO BE TURNED AWAY BY CRITICISM OF PARTS OF THE WHITE PAPER FROM THE MAJOR AIM OF PROVIDING PUBLIC SECTOR PLACES FOR 100 PER CENT OF THE 12-14 AGE GROUP IN FORMS 1 TO 3 AND FOR 40 PER CENT OF THE 15-16 AGE GROUP IN FORMS 4 AND 5 IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME SCALE, THAT IS BY 1979.
+IT IS IN A SENSE AN EMERGENCY AND MUST BE GIVEN EMERGENCY IMPLEMENTATION. IN THE 1970'S WE CANNOT AFFORD TO SAY THAT THE BIRTHRIGHT OF EVERY CHILD IS LIMITED TO SIX YEARS OF BASIC EDUCATION AND THAT OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS MUST BE RESERVED FOR THE ABLE OR THE WEALTHY.
MR. LOWE ADMITTED THAT THE PLAN HAD ITS DIFFICULTIES MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, THE REPLACEMENT OF S.S.E.E. AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE JÚNIOR CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION.
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BUT, HE POINTED OUT, THE WHITE PAPER WAS NOT AND NEVER WAS INTENDED TO BE A DETAILED BLUE PRINT.
+IT IS A STATEMENT OF AIMS WITH CLEAR INDICATIONS OF THE LINES ALONG WHICH THEY SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED. OBVIOUSLY BETWEEN NOW AND 1982, NEEDS AND PROBLEMS WILL HAVE CHANGED, THE WHITE PAPER WILL BE SUBJECT TO REVIEW. THIS IS AS IT SHOULD BE NOR DO I FEEL THE STRIDENT CRIES OF OUR LIBERAL EDUCATIONISTS FOR COMPULSION CARRY WEIGHT, COMPULSION IS NOT THE HONG KONG WAY. IT IS NOT THE EDUCATION WAY EITHER, + MR. LOWE SAID.
AS REGARDS THE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR SAID HE AGREED THAT THIS WAS MOST DIFFICULT BUT IT WAS NOT REALLY A QUESTION OF EITHER OR.
/+IT GOES DEEPER.