P
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1977
HE NOTED THAT LESS THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS HAD BEEN PROVIDED FOR INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT PROMOTION WHEREAS THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF INDUSTRIAL ESTATE FOR SALE TO PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS.
IN THE MIDST OF GROWING PROTECTIONISM, MR. WU SUGGESTED EXPANDING AND STRENGTHENING THE COMMERCIAL RELATIONS DIVISIONS AND THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT PROMOTION BRANCHES BY INJECTING MORE FUNDS.
+ IF AS WE WERE TOLD, THE SCATTERED AND PIECE-MEAL EFFORTS INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION ARE GETTING RESULTS, WHAT VAST IMPROVEMENTS THERE COULD BE BY ORGANISED AND CO-ORDINATED EFFORTS.
IN
+THEREFORE, WE SHOULD ALLOCATE MORE MONEY IN THIS PARTICULAR DIRECTION AND I REMAIN CONVINCED THAT THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL IS NECESSARY FOR COMMON GOOD AND THAT MORE PROVISIONS UNDER HEAD 26 SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY TO PREPARE FOR ITS EARLY FORMATION, HE SAID.
ON EDUCATION, MR. CHEONG-LEEN SAID THERE WERE STILL SEVERAL THOUSAND CHILDREN OF PRIMARY SCHOOL AGE, PARTICULARLY AMONG CHILDREN FROM FISHING FAMILIES WHO WERE NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL.
HE CALLED ON THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION TO INDICATE THE NUMBER OF DROP-OUTS OR PREMATURE LEAVERS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS, AND WHETHER THERE HAD SEEN A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE MEASURES ADOPTED TO REDUCE SUCH NUMBER,
+APART FROM HANDICAPPED CHILDREN,+ MR. CHEONG-LEEN ASKED WILL IT BE TOO MUCH TO EXPECT THAT THERE WILL BE A 99.9 PER CENT PRIMARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS.+
IN REPLY, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, THE HON. KENNETH TOPLEY, SAID THE 1976 CENSUS DATA INDICATED THAT 98 PER CENT OF CHILDREN AGED 6 11 WERE IN SCHOOL.
+THIS IS ALREADY A HIGH FIGURE. IMPROVEMENTS BEYOND THIS LEVEL ARE VERY HARD TO ACHIEVE AND REWARDS TO EFFORT ARE LIKELY TO BE LOW,+ MR. TOPLEY SAID.
HE ADDED THAT IT WAS HARD TO FIND THE LAST FEW, PARTICULARLY THOSE WHO MAY NEVER HAVE BEEN TO SCHOOL. A HOUSE-TO-HOUSE OR BOAT-TO-BOAT SEARCH IS NOT THE ANSWER.
MR. TOPLEY REVEALED, HOWEVER, THAT A CAMPAIGN WAS TO BE LAUNCHED LATER THIS MONTH TO DRA. THE ATTENTION OF ALL PARENTS, SPECIFICALLY IN THE FISHING AND WATER-BORNE COMMUNITIES, TO THE FULL AVAILABILITY OF FREE PRIMARY PLACES AND TO THE FACT THAT PARENTS MIGHT BE PROSECUTED IF THEY DID NOT SEND THEIR PRIMARY AGED CHILDREN TO SCHOOL OR IF THEY PREVENTED THEM FROM ATTENDING CLASSES AT ANY STAGE OF THE SIX-YEAR COURSE.
/HE ALSO