FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1975
DISTRIBUTION OF PRIMARY CLASSES
IN NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR ******
NEARLY 240 NEW CLASSES WILL BE OPENED IN NEW AND DEVELOPING AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT HONG KONG IN THE SCHOOL YEAR BEGINNING NEXT SEPTEMBER.
THE CLASSES WILL BE IN SCHOOLS IN THE NEW TOWNS, IN NEW HOUSING KESTATES IN OTHER DEVELOPING AREAS, AND IN AREAS WHERE THERE ARE SHORTAGES. MOST OF THESE CLASSES ARE NECESSARY TO MATCH THE SHIFT IN POPULATION.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY THAT THE GRADUAL MOVEMENT IN THE POPULATION TO THE NEW AREAS HAD RESULTED IN A STEADY DECLINE IN RECENT YEARS IN ENROLMENTS IN SOME OF THE PRIMARY CLASSES IN THE OLDER URBAN AREAS.
+AS A RESULT, AND BY MAINTAINING A CAREFUL WATCH ON ENROLMENT IN PRIMARY 1 CLASSES, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO PHASE OUT A SIMILAR NUMBER OF THESE UNDER-UTILISED CLASSES IN SEPTEMBER. HOWEVER, ARRANGEMENTS WILL BE MADE TO ENSURE THAT ALL CHILDREN ENTERING PRIMARY 1 IN SEPTEMBER WILL BE ABLE TO OBTAIN PLACES IN SCHOOLS CLOSE TO THEIR HOMES.+
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT APART FROM THE SHIFT IN POPULATION, THERE HAD ALSO BEEN A DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN THE PRIMARY AGE GROUP. HOWEVER, THIS NUMBER WAS EXPECTED TO INCREASE AGAIN IN 1978, THE DEMAND FOR PRIMARY PLACES WOULD BE MONITORED CONTINUOUSLY, BOTH TO ENSURE THAT SUFFICIENT PLACES WERE ALWAYS AVAILABLE AND ALSO TO AVOID UNDER-ENROLMENT.
THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WAS MAKING SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS TO HELP ANY TEACHERS AFFECTED BY THE RE-DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION. DEVELOPING SCHOOLS IN WHICH THE NEW CLASSES WERE BEING OPENED WOULD BE ADVISED TO GIVE PREFERENCE TO THESE TEACHERS. +THE OVERALL NUMBER OF TEACHERS REQUIRED BY THE AIDED SECTOR WILL NOT BE REDUCED AS A RESULT OF THESE MEASURES+, HE POINTED OUT.
FOR THE STUDENTS GRADUATING FROM THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE NORMAL WAY FROM WASTAGE, RETIREMENT, AND FROM THE OPENING OF CLASSES IN NEW AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
IN THE CASE OF THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR, PLANS ARE IN HAND TO RE-DEPLOY GOVERNMENT PRIMARY TEACHERS FROM SCHOOLS WHERE CLASSES ARE UNDER-ENROLLED INTO OTHER SECTIONS OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, AND, TEMPORARILY, INTO OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
IN SEPTEMBER 1975, THREE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION WILL INTRO- DUCE A 3RD-YEAR GENERAL COURSE TO ACCOMMODATE OVER 100 GRADUATES FROM THE PRESENT TWO-YEAR COURSES, THIS STEP WILL HAVE THE DUAL ADVANTAGES OF ENHANCING THE KOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF THE TEACHERS WHILE IMPROVING THEIR TEACHING SKILLS.
THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS ALREADY OUTLINED THE POSITION TO THE TEACHERS' UNIONS, AND SCHOOLS CONCERNED HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR. THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THESE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD IN NO WAY AFFECT PUPILS WHO WERE ALREADY ENROLLED AT SCHOOL, AND THAT AT ALL TIMES THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WOULD ENDEAVOUR TO MINIMIZE ANY INCONVENIENCE TO PUPILS ENTERING PRIMARY 1.