THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1974
CONTRIBUTION TO INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BY
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TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
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THE MORRISON HILL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE HAS MANY ACHIEVEMENTS AND HAS MADE COMMENDABLE BASIC CONTRIBUTION TO HONG KONG'S INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT, MR. SZETU WAI, A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, SAID THIS AFTERNOON,
ADDRESSING THE GATHERING AT THE INSTITUTE'S SPEECH DAY,
MR. SZETO SAID : +THIS IS EVIDENCED BY ITS LARGE STUDENT ENROLMENT, ITS COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM OF TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL COURSES, THE WIDE GEOGRAPHICAL LISTRIBUTION OF ITS EVENING COURSES AND ITS CLOSE LINK WITH INDUSTRY TO ASCERTAT: THE LATTER'S CHANGING NEEDS THROUGH LIAISON WITH THE APPRENTICES UNIT OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT. +
MR. SZETO WAS ESPECIALLY IMPRESSED BY THE REGIONAL APPROAC: WHICH THE INSTITUTE HANDLED ITS EVENING COURGES.
+ IT IS HEARTENING,+ HE SAID, THAT SUCH A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS CHOOSE TO BETTER THEMSELVES BY ATTENDING EVENING STUDI RATHER THAN OPTING FOR RECREATION. THIS REGIONAL APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM IS AN EFFECTIVE SOLUTION VIS-A-VIS HONG KONG'S CONDITIONS AND THE GOOD RESPONSE IT RECEIVES IS IN ITSELF AN ENCOURAGING SIGN OF THE CHANGING SOCIAL ATTITUDE TO INDUSTRIAL TRAINING.+
SINCE 1969, THE YEAR WHEN THE INSTITUTE WAS OPENED, HONG KO' INDUSTRIES HAVE MADE GREAT STRIDES WITH ATTENDANT EXPANSION IN EXTERNAL TRADE, THEREBY GAINING FOR HONG KONG AN INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION IN MANUFACTURE AND COMMERCE.
DURING THIS SAME PERIOD, MR. SZETO SAID, +GREAT PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE EXPANSION AND ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN HONG KONG CULMINATING IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PCLYTECHNIC, WHICH IN 1972 TOOK OVER THE WORK OF THE FORMER HONG KONG TECHNICAL COLLEGE AND CONTINUED TO IMPROVE AND EXPAND THE TRAINING OF TECHNOLOGISTS AND HIGH-LEVEL TECHNICIANS TO MEET THE NEEDS, LOTH QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE, OF OUR EXPANDING INDUSTRIES.+
MR. SZETO SAID THAT IN HIS VIEW EDUCATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT OF OUR SOCIAL SERVICES AT THE PRESENT JUNCTURE OF TIME. A NEW ORIENTATION IS NEEDED IN ITS MAKE-UP WHICH MUST DE GEARED TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF A CHANGING TECHNOLOGICAL WORLD BROUGHT ABOUT BY WORLD-WIDE INFLATION, SHORTAGE OF RAW MATERIALS AND ECONOMIC CHAOS. THE CHALLENGE MUST BE MET IF WE WERE TO SURVIVE AS AN INDUSTRIAL NATION AND TO MAINTAIN OUR ECONOMIC STABILITY.
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IN HIS SPEECH, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), MR. ANDREW KINGWELL SPOKE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNICAL INSTITUTES IN THE NEW STRUCTURE FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION WHICH THE TECHNICAL BRANCH OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WAS PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING.
/HE SAID: +IN THIS
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