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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1976
+ IN THE NEW TOWNS, FIVE COMMUNITY HALLS TO SERVE THE PEOPLE IN THE SMALLER PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES HAVE BEEN BUILT AND ANOTHER FIVE WILL SOON BE UNDERWAY TO PROVIDE YOUTH AND COMMUNITY WORK TO THE RESIDENTS IN THESE NEW COMMUNITIES,+ HE SAID.
IN ORDER TO FORESTALL WAYWARD YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TURNING TO CRIME, MR. LEE SAID THAT EFFORTS WOULD BE STEPPED UP ON FAMILY LIFE ÉDUCATION, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK AND IN REACHING OUT PROGRAMMES TO YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH YOUTH GUIDANCE, PLAYLEADERSHIP SCHEMES, AND DETACHED WORK.
ON THE SUBJECT OF SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK, HE REPORTED THAT THE PRESENT PILOT SERVICE INITIATED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE AND EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS TWO YEARS AGO, HAD BEEN MAKING STEADY PROGRESS.
+ IN THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS INCREASED FROM FIVE TO TEN, WITH A TOTAL ENROLMENT OF 12,000 PUPILS. IN THE PRESENT SCHOOL YEAR, ANOTHER 17 SCHOOLS, WITH A TOTAL OF 19,000 PUPILS, WERE SELECTED TO JOIN THE SERVICE.+
AT PRESENT, HE CONTINUED, PLANS WERE BEING MADE TO STRENGTHEN THE SERVICE FOR 1977-78 SCHOOL YEAR THROUGH THE EMPLOYMENT OF ADDITIONAL SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS ON A FULL-TIME BASIS, THUS INCREASING THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS TO BE SERVED FROM 17 TO 85.
REFERRING TO THE PROGRAMME OF EDUCATION IN THE MA TAU WEI GIRLS' HOME. MR. LEE EXPLAINED: +THIS HOME IS A COMBINED INSTITUTION TO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF GIRLS ON REMAND, ON PROBATION OR IN NEED OF CARE AND PROTECTION WHOSE PERIOD OF RESIDENCE VARIES FROM ONE WEEK TO SEVERAL MONTHS. THE IR STANDARD OF EDUCATION ALSO VARIES WIDELY AND IT IS THEREFORE DIFFICULT TO HAVE A LONG-TERM EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME WHICH WILL SUIT ALL OF THEM.+
HOWEVER, HE ADDED, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION WOULD BE CONSULTED AS TO HOW TO IMPROVE THE PRESENT EDUCATION PROGRAMME, HANDWORK TRAINING, AND THE TYPE OF TEXTBOOKS USED.
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