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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1975
THE DIRECTOR STRESSED THAT THE MINIMUM THING TO TACKLE WAS TO ENSURE THAT AT LEAST AS HIGH A PROPORTION OF CANDIDATES AS IN FORMER YEARS WOULD RECEIVE AN AIDED PLACE AS A RESULT OF TAKING THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION.
+THIS AIM REQUIRES AN ADDITION OF SOME 4,000 TO THE NUMBER OF FORM 1 PLACES. THE QUICKEST WAY OF DOING THIS IS, AS MR. Q.W. LEE RIGHTLY POINTS OUT, TO PERMIT A TEMPORARY INCREASE IN CLASS SIZE. THAT WILL COST PRACTICALLY NOTHING TO THE TREASURY.
+I CAN HOPE ALSO TO REDEPLOY SOME GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO ACHIEVE A MEASURE OF FLOTATION MEANING EXTRA CLASSES - IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS.
+THESE TWO MEASURES TOCETHER SHOULD ENABLE ME TO KEEP UP THE PROPORTION OF S.S.E.E. SUCCESSES SO THAT COMPETITION FOR PLACES IF NOT MADE MILDER AT LEAST BECOMES NO MORE FIERCE.
+AT THE WORST THESE PROPOSALS CAN BE PLACED BEFORE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AS EMERGENCY MEASURES WHICH PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PLACES, ALL OF THEM AIDED AND IN GOOD SCHOOLS,+ HE SAID.
THIS DID NOT MEAN THAT MR. TOPLEY BELIEVED IT A GOOD THING TO INCREASE CLASS SIZE, BUT IT WAS BETTER THAN LEAVING CHILDREN WITHOUT A SCHOOL PLACE.
+BUT I AM PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT BY BUDGET TIME WE WILL FIND WE HAVE RESOURCES FOR RATHER MORE THAN THIS.
+IN THIS CASE A POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL OPTION IS TO IMPROVE AND EXTEND THREE AND FIVE YEAR EVENING SECONDARY COURSES FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL LEAVERS UNABLE TO FIND A PLACE IN A DAY SCHOOL,+ THE DIRECTOR SAID.
+THESE WOULD BE NEW PLACES, HE SAID. +THEY WOULD ALSO BE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN A BOUGHT PLACE SO WE SHOULD GET GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY HERE, BUT UNLESS WE ARE ABLE TO IMPROVE THE PLACES A GREAT DEAL AND UNTIL THEY GAIN SUBSTANTIAL PUBLIC APPROVAL IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO REGARD THESE AS PLACES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
THE DIRECTOR SAID THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WAS ALSO STUDYING CRITICALLY PLANS TO CONVERT SURPLUS PRIMARY SCHOOLS FOR USE WITHIN SECONDARY EDUCATION.
HE SAID: +1 AM SURE THAT THE WHITE PAPER HAS SET OUT MORE OR LESS THE LINE WE SHOULD FOLLOW, AND IN THE MEDIUM TERM WILL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW. THE EXPEDIENTS HAVE OUTLINED ABOVE SHOULD ONLY BE ADOPTED IF, AND ONLY IF, IN THE SHORT TERN WE HAVE NOT THE RESOURCES WE MUST NOT IGNORE THE CLAIMS OF THE PRESENT GENERATION BECAUSE THEY MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO BECOME LOST. PLEASE DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME.+
/13. TOPLEY
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