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MONDAY, MARCH 29, 1976,
TOPLEY OPENS $5.5 MILLION AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOL
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THE YU CHUN KEUNG MEMORIAL COLLEGE, WHICH COST $5,500,000 TO PUT UP, WAS OPENED BY THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. KENNETH TOPLEY THIS AFTERNOON.
THE GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTED ABOUT 80 PER CENT OF THE COST ABOUT $4,500,000 -- BY WAY OF CAPITAL SUBSIDY WHILE THE LATE MR. YU CHUN KEUNG MADE A GENEROUS DONATION.
THE COLLEGE, A 24-CLASSROOM GRAMMAR SCHOOL WITH NINE SPECIAL ROOMS AND OTHER ANCILLARY FACILITIES, IS THE SEVENTH AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOL SPONSORED BY THE CATHOLIC MISSION IN HONG KONG.
IN HIS SPEECH AT THE OPENING CEREMONY, MR. TOPLEY EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS MADE BY THE CATHOLIC MISSION.
+THESE WORTHY EFFORTS DATE BACK TO THE EARLY FIFTIES WHEN THE MISSION STARTED OPERATING PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS,
+FOR MANY YEARS THE MISSION HAS MADE A SIGNAL CONTRIBUTION IN HELPING THE GOVERNMENT TO PROMOTE AIDED PRIMARY EDUCATION.
+ IN RECENT YEARS, WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION, IT HAS DIVERTED ITS ENERGY TOWARDS THE BUILDING OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS SOME AIDED, SOME PRIVATE,+ MR. TOPLEY SAID.
THE DIRECTOR POINTED OUT THAT THE SCHOOLS UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE MISSION WERE NOT SIMPLY DESIGNED TO MEET THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF CATHOLIC CHILDREN, BUT PRIMARILY ESTABLISHED TO SERVE THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
HE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE MISSION WOULD KEEP UP ITS EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL WORK AND CONTINUE TO RENDER ASSISTANCE TO THE COMMUNITY AND TO THE GOVERNMENT BY PROVIDING MORE SCHOOL PLACES.
THE DIRECTOR THEN SPOKE ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOME ENVIRONMENT AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD ON SCHOOL CHILDREN.
+VIEWING THEIR WORK AS A WHOLE, TEACHERS WILL NATURALLY MAKE USE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY FOR BRINGING ABOUT AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL, HOME AND NEIGHBOURHOOD.
+THEY AND ALL OTHERS CONNECTED WITH EDUCATION SHOULD DO THEIR BEST TO DISPEL THE HARMFUL NOTION THAT THE WORK OF THE SCHOOL IS A MYSTERY NOT TO BE PENETRATED. EXCEPT BY THE INITIATED.
+THE GREAT INTEREST WHICH HAS BEEN AROUSED BY EXHIBITIONS OF SCHOOL WORK AND BY DISPLAYS OF SCHOOL ACTIVITIES OF VARIOUS KINDS SHOWS THAT THE PUBLIC IS EAGER TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE S/HOOL. BUT OF ALL THE OUTSIDE PUBLIC THE PARENTS CLEARLY HAVE THE BEST RIGHT TO BE INFORMED AS TO WHAT THE SCHOOL IS DOING FOR THEIR CHILDREN,+ MR. TOPLEY SAID.
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