WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1977
11
REGARDING THE PLANNING OF MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CENTRES, MR. HO SAID, HIS PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY RESPONSIBLE FOR REHABILITATION WAS CURRENTLY VISITING SOME SUCH CENTRES IN WEST GERMANY WHICH WERE BELIEVED TO BE THE MOST ADVANCED IN THE WORLD.
+ON HIS RETURN HE WILL BE REPORTING ON HOW SIMILAR CENTRES MIGHT BE OPERATED AND ADMINISTERED HERE HAVING REGARD TO OUR DISTINCTIVE CIRCUMSTANCES, HE ADDED.
REPLYING TO POINTS RAISED BY DR. THE HON. HARRY FANG IN THE DEBATE, MR. HO SAID THE ROLE OF THE REHABILITATION UNIT NEWLY SET UP WITH IN HIS BRANCH WAS PRIMARILY TO CO-ORDINATE GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES AND PLANNING OBJECTIVES IN A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES WHICH CROSS SEVERAL DEPARTMENTAL BOUNDARIES.
+ IN ORDER THAT THIS AIM IS ACHIEVED, IT IS NOT INTENDED THAT THIS SMALL UNIT SHOULD BE GIVEN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS WHICH MUST REMAIN WITH THE DEPARTMENTS. ACCORDINGLY, IT WOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATE TO CONFER THE TITLE OF COMMISSIONER ON THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE UNIT,+ HE SAID.
MR. HO ALSO ASSURED REV. THE HON. JOYCE M. BENNETT THAT HER SUGGESTIONS FOR RE-EXAMINATION OF NEW CODES OF AID FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION IN PARTICULAR THOSE PROVISIONS RELATING TO STAFF. ESTABLISHMENT AND GRADING WOULD BE CONSIDERED BY A SMALL WORK ING GROUP WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT TO EXAMINE WHETHER SUBVENTION PROCEDURES TO SPECIAL SCHOOLS COULD BE STREAMLINED WITHIN EXPANDED CODES OF AID.
ON THE NEED FOR SUITABLY QUALIFIED AND TRAINED STAFF TO MEET NEEDS OF THE REHABILITATION PLAN AND OTHER SPHERES OF SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES, HE SAID PENDING THE DETAILED STUDY BY THE REHABILITATION DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE TRAINING AND MANPOWER NEEDS FOR REHABILITATION WORK AND THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE REVIEWS BY THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE, PROJECTIONS OF MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS ARISING FROM NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THESE VARIOUS FIELDS CAN ONLY BE ROUGH APPROXIMATIONS.
TURNING TO EDUCATION, MR. HO SAID BECAUSE OF THE WANT OF ACADEMIC AND TECHNICAL PERSONNEL, IT WOULD NOT BE FEASIBLE TO INTRODUCE AN OPEN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN HONG KONG.
HOWEVER, HE SAID, AN ALTERNATIVE SCHEME FOR WHICH THERE WOULD SEEM TO BE SCOPE WAS A PILOT PROGRAMME OF PART-TIME DEGREES DESIGNED FOR MATURE STUDENTS RATHER THAN SCHOOL LEAVERS.
ON THE GROWTH OF HIGHER EDUCATION, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSED THAT THE TWO UNIVERSITIES SHOULD GROW BY THREE PER CENT ANNUALLY AND IT ENVISAGED THAT THIS RATE OF EXPANSION WOULD BE MAINTAINED IN THE FOLLOWING PERIOD SO THAT UNIVERSITY STUDENT POPULATION WOULD EXCEED 12,000 BY THE MID 1980'S.
HE SAID THE POLYTECHNIC WAS PLANNED TO REACH A STUDENT NUMBER TARGET OF 11,400 FULL-TIME AND EQUIVALENT PART TIME BY 1980-81 AND THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSED THAT IT SHOULD THEREAFTER BE STABILISED AT A POPULATION OF 12,000 FULL-TIME AND EQUIVALENT PART-TIME.
/MR. HO ALSO POINTED