MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1976
REPLACEMENT OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION
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ALLOCATION OF PUPILS TO SCHOOLS ON AI! AREA DASIS, THE SUBSTITUTION OF WIDE INTERNAL SCHOOL ASSESSMENTS OVER THREE TERMS FOR A NARROWER PUBLIC EXAMINATION CONDUCTED IN ONE DAY, A FAIRER SYSTEM OF INTAKE FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND A MORE EGAL ITARIAN SCHOOL SYSTEM THESE ARE THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE REPORT OF THE WORKING PARTY, ON THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS ENTRANCE EXAMINATION (3.9.E.E.) ISSUED TODAY BY THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, NR. KENNETH TUPLEY.
FOLLOWING THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER ON THE EXPANSION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION IN OCTOBER 1974, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION APPOINTED THE WORKING PARTY TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW PRIMARY 6 LEAVERS WOULD BE ALLOCATED TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS WHEN THERE WERE SUFFICIENT FORMS 1-111 PLACES FOR EVERY CHILD IN THE APPROPRIATE AGE GROUP AND THE S.S.E.E. WAS NO LONGER NECESSARY.
THE 26-MEMBER WORKING PARTY, CHAIRED BY THE FORMER DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. CHARLES LOWE, CONSISTED OF HEADS AND TEACHERS OF SCHOOLS OF ALL KINDS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.
COPIES OF THE REPORT IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE HAVE BEEN SENT TO ALL PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS AS WELL AS TO EDUCATIONAL BODIES FOR THEIR INFORMATION AND COMMENTS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAID.
THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION WISHES ALL CONCERNED TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY AND DISCUSS THE REPORT BEFORE HE MAKES A DECISION WHETHER TO ADOPT ITS RECOMMENDATIONS.
THE SPOKESMAN EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT COMMENTS WOULD REACH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT DY THE END OF FEBRUARY, TO PERMIT AN EARLY DECISION AND THE NECESSARY FORWARD PLANNING IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF PUPILS, PARENTS AND SCHOOLS.
A SUMMARY OF THE REPORT COULD HARDLY DO JUSTICE TO A COMPLEX PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENT, THE E.D. SPOKESMAN SAID, BUT, INSOFAR AS A BRIEF REGUME WAS POSSIBLE, THE REPORT HAD MADE THE FOLLOWING MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS :
REGIONAL ISATION
THE ALLOCATION OF PRIMARY & LEAVERS SHOULD BE ON A REGIONAL BASIS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION OF SCHOOLS, IT WAS NOT PRACTICABLE TO FOLLOW NEAT GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES. INSTEAD, A SYSTEM OF SCHOOL +NETWORKS+ SHOULD BE DRAWN UP IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY WOULD COVER BROAD GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS AND THAT EACH WOULD HAVE THE SAME MIX OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES. EACH SCHOOL NETWORK SHOULD CONTAIN THE SAME PROPORTION OF ANGLO-CHINESE AND CHINESE MIDDLE PLACES, GRAMMAR AND TECHNICAL PLACES, AND SO ON. THIS SHOULD MEAN THAT NO CHILD WOULD BE PLACED IN A DISADVANTAGEOUS POSITION BECAUSE HE BELONGED TO A PARTICULAR SCHOOL NETWORK.
/INTERNAL