5.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1974
PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN HONG KONG
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS CONSIDERED THE QUESTION OF THE PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS VERY CAREFULLY AND HAS TAKEN AN OBJECTIVE AND REALISTIC VIEW, THE ACTING, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), MR. DANIEL WATERS SAID THIS (FRIDAY) MORNING.
HE WAS SPEAKING AT A SEMINAR ON +AIMS OF PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION+ ORGANISED BY THE SUD-COMMITTEE ON PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION OF THE HONG KONG COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE.
MR. WATERS SAID: THE PRESENT THINKING OF THE GOVERNMENT, IN LINE WITH THE REVISED VIEWS OF THE DOARD OF EDUCATION, IS THAT PREVOCATIONAL TYPE SCHOOLS ARE NOT THE MOST SUITABLE OVERALL SOLUTION FOR OUR PRESENT EDUCATION PROBLEMS.
+THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY HAVE NO PART TO PLAY, MERELY THAT PREVOCATIONAL TYPE SCHOOLS WILL NOT BE THE DOMINANT ELEMENT IN THE EXPANSION PLANS FOR THE JUNIOR SECONDARY LEVEL, AS LAID DOWN IN THE 1974 WHITE PAPER.
+THE GOVERNMENT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVIEW OVERALL POLICY AND REACT ACCORDINGLY, AS EXPERIENCE INDICATES.+
THE WHITE PAPER DID NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF FUTURE MODIFICATIONS, OR OF REAPPRAISAL.
+ IT IS RECOGNISED THAT A POLICY WITHOUT FLEXIBILITY WOULD NOT BE WISE, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR EMPHASISED.
HE REITERATED THAT PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS WOULD CONTINUE TO EXIST IN THEIR OWN RIGHT AND WITH PARITY OF ESTEEM AND IMPORTANCE WITH OTHER SCHOOLS.
MR. WATERS BELIEVED THAT PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS HAD AN INTEGRAL PART TO PLAY IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM ALTHOUGH THE EVENTUAL TOTAL NUMBER OF PREVOCATIONAL PLACES TO BE OFFERED - SOME 10,000 BY 1983 - WAS SMALL.
THESE SCHOOLS ARE FULLY SUBSIDIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THE TUITION FEE PAID BY PUPILS IS ONLY $200 A YEAR WHICH IS HALF THE FEE CHARGED IN THE STANDARD GRAMMAR AND TECHNICAL SCHOOLS.
THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR POINTED OUT THAT ONE OF THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE WHITE PAPER, BASED ON RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, WAS THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SINGLE STREAM OF EDUCATION FOR THE FIRST NINE YEARS, WITH A COMMON CORE OF INSTRUCTION.
BRANCHING INTO GRAMMAR OR TECHNICAL STREAMS WOULD COME AFTER THE PROPOSED HONG KONG JUNIOR CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION TAKEN AT FORM 111 LEVEL.
MR. WATERS