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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1976
50,000 NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES PLANNED FOR N.T.
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MORE THAN HALF OF THE 50,000 NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES THE GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WILL BE IN TSUEN WAN.
THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR. DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID THIS TODAY AT THE FOUNDATION STONE-LAYING CEREMONY OF ONE OF THE SCHOOLS WHICH WILL PROVIDE THE PLACES - THE TUNG WAH GROUP'S MRS. WU YORK YU MEMORIAL COLLEGE AT KWAI CHUNG.
MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BUILD 50 NEW SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BETWEEN NOW AND 1981, AND PRAISED CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS LIKE TUNG WAH FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS BUILDING PROGRAMME.
+THE GOVERNMENT IS OUTLAYING VERY LARGE SUMS OF MONEY TO SEE THE PROGRAMME THROUGH - $192 MILLION IN CAPITAL EXPENDITURE WITH RECURRENT COSTS RISING TO $448 MILLION IN 1983, HE SAID.
+BUT IT IS ALSO THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF CHARITABLE ORGANISATIONS LIKE TUNG WAH AND OTHER COMMUNITY-CONSCIOUS GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS ABLE TO IMPLEMENT ITS POLICY OF PROVIDING SCHOOL PLACES FOR ALL CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 12 AND 14.
+SUCH GROUPS HAVE A CONSIDERABLE FINANCIAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE 50 SCHOOLS WHICH ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES BETWEEN NOW AND 1981.+
MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THIS RAPID DEVELOPMENT SHOULD NOT BE SEEN ONLY IN TERMS OF BRICKS AND MORTAR AND MONEY.
+THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT THAT GIVING OUR YOUNG CHILDREN THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE ILL HAVE A CONTINUING IMPACT ON TWO OF THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS AMONG OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN CRIME, AND THIS IS ALREADY DECREASING, AND THEIR ILLEGAL EMPLOYMENT, „HICH IS LIKEWISE DIKINISHING, HE ADDED.
MR. AKERS-JONES SAID THAT ENROLMENT IN TUNG MAH SCHOOLS HAD NOW REACHED 14,000 AND THAT OF THE 26,640 NEW SCHOOL PLACES PLANNEL FOR TSUEN WAN, 2,500 OF THESE STUDENTS WILL BE IN THREE TUNG MAH SCHOOLS. +THAT IS A CONTRIBUTION, WHICH CANNOT BE TOO HIGHLY PRAISED, HE ADDED.
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