THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1975
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THE DEPARTMENT'S TECHNICAL BRANCH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN HONG KONG OUTSIDE THE TWO UNIVERSITIES AND THE POLYTECHNIC ALTHOUGH OF COURSE CLOSE LIAISON TAKE PLACE BETWEEN ALL THESE INSTITUTIONS.
+TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO BROAD AREAS. ONE AREA INCLUDES ALL COURSES WHICH ARE VOCATIONAL BY NATURE AND SPECIFICALLY GEARED TO THE NEEDS OF INDUSTRY OR COMMERCE. THIS OBVIOUSLY INCLUDES THE COURSES WHICH ARE RUN IN THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES,+ HE SAID.
THESE COURSES ARE DIRECTLY GEARED TO INDUSTRY AND ARE OF A VOCATIONAL NATURE, FOR EXAMPLE COURSES ON BRICKLAYING, ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS, MECHANICAL FITTING, SHORTHAND AND SECRETARIAL WORK AS WELL AS SIMILAR STUDIES.
THE SECOND AREA OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION IS NON-VOCATIONAL AND INCLUDES TECHNICAL SUBJECTS WHICH ARE TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS.
MR. WATERS SAID: +TECHNICAL SUBJECTS MAY BE TAUGHT IN PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS (WHICH ARE DIFFERENT TO VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS), SECONDARY MODERN SCHOOLS OR IN SECONDARY TECHNICAL SCHOOLS. INDEED AS STATED IN THE WHITE PAPER (WHICH WAS PUBLISHED LAST YEAR) RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE THAT TECHNICAL SUBJECTS SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN ALL SCHOOLS.+
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR SAID THAT IT WAS NOT INTENDED THAT SUCH SUBJECTS SHOULD BE TAUGHT WITH A VOCATIONAL BIAS BUT SUCH TECHNICAL EDUCATION SHOULD BE BROAD-BASED IN ORDER THAT PUPILS WOULD HAVE AN APPRECIATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND THE INDUSTRIAL WORLD.
''DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY' WAS A NON-VOCATIONAL TYPE TECHNICAL SUBJECT BEING INTRODUCED INTO SEVERAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG IN PLACE OF WOODWORK AND METALWORK.
MR. WATERS SAID THAT ANOTHER AREA FOR WHICH THE DEPARTMENT'S TECHNICAL BRANCH WAS RESPONSIBLE WAS THE TRAINING OF TECHNICAL TEACHERS AND IN SEPTEMBER 1974 A TECHNICAL TEACHERS' COLLEGE WAS ESTABLISHED.
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