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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1975
SECONDARY EDUCATION ALLOWANCE URGED
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FOR POOR FAMILIES X X X X X X
THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN TODAY RENEWED HIS PLEA FOR A SECONDARY EDUCATION ALLOWANCE FOR POORER FAMILIES AND SUGGESTED A MODIFIED SCHEME TO ENABLE CHILDREN FROM SUCH FAMILIES TO RECEIVE AT LEAST THREE YEARS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLING.
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HE ESTIMATED THAT THE REVISED SCHEME WOULD COST ABOUT $3.5 MILLION A YEAR · FAR LESS THAN THE ESTIMATED $15 MILLION UNDER A PREVIOUS SCHEME HE PROPOSED LAST MAY WHICH WAS CONSIDERED TOO COSTLY AT THE TIME.
OUTLINING HIS REVISED PROPOSALS IN COUNCIL, MR. CHEONG-LEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE NEW SCHEME SHOULD BE INITIALLY RESTRICTED TO STUDENTS ENTERING FORMS AND 111 AND WHOSE FAMILY INCOME DID NOT EXCEED $1,000 A MONTH. THE ALLOWANCE TO ELIGIBLE STUDENTS WOULD BE $25 A MONTH AND WOULD APPLY TO ELIGIBLE FAMILIES WHO SPENT MORE THAN 30 PER CENT OF THEIR INCOME ON EDUCATION.
IN HIS ORIGINAL PROPOSALS LAST MAY, MR. CHEONG-LEEN ENVISAGED AN ALLOWANCE SCHEME FOR STUDENTS ENTERING FORMS 11, 11 AND V AND WHOSE FAMILY INCOME DID NOT EXCEED $2,000.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN SAID THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE REVISED SECONDARY EDUCATION ALLOWANCE SCHEME COULD BE RAISED BY EFFECTING SAVINGS IN ANNUAL TRAVELLING SUBSIDY TO STUDENTS.
HE NOTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT SPENT AN ESTIMATED $22 MILLION A YEAR IN SUBSIDISING STUDENTS TRAVELLING ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT. OF THIS AMOUNT, $19 MILLION WAS TO REIMBURSE THE THREE MAJOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPANIES, WHILE THE REMAINING $3 MILLION WENT TO THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY.
DURING THE 1974/75 ACADEMIC YEAR, HE WENT ON, THE TWO BUS COMPANIES AND THE TRAMWAYS COMPANY HAD ISSUED A TOTAL OF 403,966 MONTHLY TICKETS AND FREE PASSES COMPARED WITH A TOTAL ENROLMENT OF 370,573 STUDENTS STUDYING IN SECONDARY GRAMMAR SCHOOLS, THREE-YEAR PRACTICAL SCHOOLS, AND VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.
WHILE SOME STUDENTS GENUINELY NEEDED TWO DIFFERENT PASSES OR MONTHLY TICKETS, HE SAID, THERE COULD BE MANY STUDENTS WHO DO NOT BUT STILL OBTAINED THEM.
+ THE COST TO GOVERNMENT PER FREE PASS/MONTHLY TICKET AS WELL AS THE MACHINERY FOR ISSUING SUCH FREE PASSES AND MONTHLY TICKETS SHOULD THEREFORE BE REVIEWED SO AS TO ACHIEVE ECONOMY AND ELIMINATE WASTE IN THIS DIRECTION,+ HE SAID.
LIKE OTHER SPEAKERS BEFORE HIM, MR. CHEONG-LEEN ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER LAW AND ORDER.
/THE VIOLENT
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