WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1978
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MISS BENNETT WONDERED WHAT THE STUDENT GUIDANCE OFFICERS .ITH THREE MONTHS' TRAINING COULD ACHIEVE. SHE ASKED WHY THE RATIO OF TEACHERS TO PRIMARY SCHOOL CLASSES COULD NOT BE INCREASED +SO THAT THE CLASS TEACHER CAN BECOME THE TRUE GUIDE, PHILOSOPHER AND FRIEND OF THE PRIMARY CHILD.+ IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER FOR THE STUDENT GUIDANCE OFFICERS TO DO A SATISFACTORY JOB IF THEY WERE FULLY INTEGRATED INTO THE PRIMARY SCHOOL, SHE ADDED.
SHE THOUGHT THEY WOULD THEMSELVES NEED GUIDANCE FROM THE PRINCIPALS AND SENIOR TEACHERS ON THE IR EXACT ROLE IN THE . SCHOOL, WHICH WAS NOT LAID DOWN CLEARLY IN THE GREEN PAPER.
SHE ALSO THOUGHT THAT SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS SHOULD BE BASED IN FAMILY CENTRES SO AS TO GIVE HELP TO THE WHOLE FAMILY UNIT. +OUR WORKERS WILL NOT SUCCEED UNLESS THEY HELP THE FAMILIES TO HELP THEIR PROBLEM CHILDREN HELP THEMSELVES,+ SHE SAID.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN ASKED WHY THE SAME PLANNING RATIO OF ONE STUDENT GUIDANCE OFFICER FOR 3,000 PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN URBAN AREAS AND 2,000 PUPILS IN RURAL AREAS COULD NOT BE PROVIDED FOR THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS WHERE THE PROBLEMS OF STUDENTS COULD EE EVEN MORE COMPLICATED AND TIME-CONSUMING.
HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO PLACE THE 5,000 SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN WHO ARE NOT YET IN SCHOOL.
HE WAS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE SEVERAL THOUSAND OTHER YOUNGSTERS WHO DO NOT FINISH PRIMARY SCHOOL AND DO NOT GO UP TO FORM 1.
HE SAID THERE WAS A CLEAR-CUT NEED TO REVERT BACK TO FULL DAY SESSION FOR ALL GOVERNMENT AND AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOLS AS WELL AS TO REDUCE THE MAXIMUM PERMITTED CLASS SIZE IF WE WERE TO HIT AT THE ROOT OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY.
R. WONG LAM TOO HAD ESERVATIONS ABOUT THE DEPLOYME, T OF STUDENT GUIDANCE OFFICERS. HE THOUGHT AN IMPORTANT PART OF A TEACHER'S RESPONSIBILITY IS TO 'ELF STUDE TS SOLVE THEIR PERSONAL PROBLEMS AND DY DIVORCING SUCH DUTY FROM THE TEACHER'S WORK, COUNTER-EFFECTS MAY POSSIBLY BE PRODUCED. TEACHERS WOULD
IMPERCEPTIBLY DE ENCOURAGED TO ATTACH IMPORTANCE ONLY TO THE IMPARTING OF KNOWLEDGE, WHILE THE STUDENTS WHO ARE OFFERED GUIDANCE MAY FEEL EMBARRASSED OR ASHAMED.
MR. WONG ALSO THOUGHT THAT REDEPLOYING PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS AS STUDENT GUIDANCE OFFICERS HIGHT NOT BE AS DESIRABLE AS WAS THOUGHT. THERE MAY NOT BE ENOUGH TEACHERS WILLING OR SUITABLE TO BE TRAINED, AND ANY COMPULSORY TRANSFER OULD EASILY LEAD TO DISCONTENT AND IMPAIR THE SCHEME.
THEY ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO POSSESS A HIGH LEVEL CF PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND IT IS DOUETFUL WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT CAN WITHIN A SHORT TIME TRAIN UP A LARGE NUMBER OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO BE GOOD STUDENT GUIDANCE CFFICERS.
SOCIAL WORK