MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1977
CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT IN SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK STRESSED
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SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK SHOULD BE THE CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT OF DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS, EACH CONTRIBUTING ITS PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE IN ORDER TO HELP SCHOOL CHILDREN DERIVE THE GREATEST BENEFIT FROM EDUCATION, AND TO PREPARE THEM FOR FUTURE ADULT RESPONSIBILITIES, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION(PROFESSIONAL), MR. HO NGA-MING SAID THIS AFTERNOON.
HE WAS SPEAKING AT A MEETING OF 85 HEADS OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS, 17 FULL-TIME SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS ON THE STAFF OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT AND A NUMBER OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STAFF INVOLVED IN THE SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK SERVICE.
MR. HO SAID THE SERVICE WAS DESIGNED TO PREVENT PUPILS FROM BECOMING ANTI-SOCIAL OR DELINQUENT AND TO HELP SOLVE PROBLEMS RELATING TO THE IR BEHAVIOUR OR FAMILY RELATIONSHIP, THUS IMPROVING THE IR BEHAVIOUR AND PERFORMANCE IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL.
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR POINTED OUT THAT SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN NOVEMBER 1974, THE SERVICE HAD EXPANDED STEADILY. IT COVERED 17 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. WITH FULL SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT, THE SCHEME HAS EXPANDED DRAMATICALLY IN THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR TO COVER 85 SCHOOLS 53 PRIMARY AND 32 SECONDARY WITH A TOTAL ENROLMENT OF 68,300. OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS, 25 ARE ON HONG KONG ISLAND, 45 IN KOWLOON AND 15 IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
+VERY OF TEN IN SCHOOLS WE HAVE CHILDREN WITH VARIOUS PROBLEMS. BROADLY SPEAKING, THESE PROBLEMS ARE EITHER ACADEMIC OR BEHAVIOURAL THOUGH BOTH TYPES OF PROBLEM ARE VERY OFTEN INTERRELATED.+ MR. HO SAID. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT ACADEMIC PROBLEMS COULD BE CAUSED BY MANY FACTORS SUCH AS LACK OF MOTIVATION TO LEARN AND NO SUPERVISION AT HOME. THEY COULD ALSO BE CAUSED BY UNSUITABLE TEACHING METHODS, TEACHING MATERIAL WHICH WAS INAPPROPRIATE OR TOO DIFFICULT, OR OTHER EXTRANEOUS FACTORS.
BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS COULD BE CAUSED BY POOR PARENTAL HANDLING, A DETRIMENTAL ENVIRONMENT, BAD COMPANIONS, FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES, FAVOURITISM AT HOME AND MANY OTHER ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL FACTORS.
MR. HO ADDED: +TEACHERS, BY VIRTUE OF THEIR TRAINING AND DAY- TO-DAY CONTACT WITH PUPILS, ARE EXPECTED TO DEAL WITH ALL PROBLEMS INITIALLY.
+THEY CAN MAKE THEIR TEACHING MATERIAL MORE MEANINGFUL RELEVANT AND INTERESTING, AND AN UNDERSTANDING AND SYMPATHETIC TEACHER CAN DO MUCH TO IMPROVE THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE PUPILS.+
BUT IT WAS SOMETIMES IMPOSSIBLE FOR TEACHERS TO SOLVE SOME OF THE PUPILS' PROBLEMS, ESPECIALLY THOSE RELATING TO FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND OTHER SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
/IN HER SPEECH,