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THURSDAY, JULY 6, 1978
MR. ALEX WU : GREEN PAPER THINKING UNNECESSARILY UTILITARIAN
THE HON. ALEX WU NOTED THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE SPECIFIC REFERENCE IN THE GREEN PAPER TO THE UNDESIRABILITY
OF EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE BEYOND THE CAPACITY OF THE ECONOMY TO EMPLOY THEIR TALENTS. THIS UNNECESSARILY UTILITARIAN THINKING REFLECTS AN IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE WHICH DESERVES EXAMINATION AND CLARIFICATION, HE SAID.
HE NOTED THAT CONTRARY TO CHINESE IDEAS ON EDUCATION SOME WESTERN SOCIETIES HAVE VIRTUALLY ABANDONED MORAL AND ETHICAL TEACHING AS A FEATURE OF FORMAL EDUCATION, BUT THERE IS NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD ASSUME THAT THERE IS NO PLACE FOR MORALS OR CULTURE
IN OUR SYSTEM.
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PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN TODAY HAVE RELAXED THEIR ATTITUDE TO TECHNICAL OR VOCATIONAL AS OPPOSED TO ACADEMIC EDUCATION. +BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE CAN IGNORE THE DESIRE OR THE NEED FOR A BROAD EDUCATION FOR ALL STUDENTS, WHATEVER THEIR ACADEMIC STATUS OR THEIR EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS,+ HE SAID.
PERHAPS IT WAS THOUGHT THAT WE COULD ONLY AFFORD TO EXPEND OUR EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ON INSTRUCTION WHICH YIELDS A DIRECT RETURN IN INCREASED SKILLS AT WORK. EVEN THIS STERILE APPROACH IS OPEN TO SERIOUS QUESTION ON ITS OWN TERMS. IN A WORLD OF RAPIDLY CHANGING TECHNOLOGY THE MOST EFFECTIVE WORK-FORCE IS THAT WHICH IS ADAPTABLE, RECEPTIVE TO NEW IDEAS AND CAPABLE OF LEARNING NEW SKILLS. THE PREREQUISITE IS A BROAD EDUCATION RATHER
THAN A NARROW ONE.
+WE MUST NOT THINK OF EDUCATION AS A VOCATIONAL PREPARATION FOR A PATTERN OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AT A POINT IN TIME, OR EVEN FOR A PREDICTABLE FUTURE. WE DO NOT HAVE A PREDICTABLE FUTURE. WE HAVE A FUTURE FULL OF CHALLENGE AND WE CAN ONLY SUCCEED BY BEING FLEXIBLE AND INNOVATIVE, HE SAID.
HE ADDED THAT A SOUND GENERAL EDUCATION MUST LIE BEHIND ALL TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION, WITH A MUCH HIGHER STANDARD OF LANGUAGE SK ILL A MUCH WIDER BACKGROUND OF READING, AND FAMILIARITY WITH THE LEARNING PROCESS.
MR. WU DID NOT DOUBT THE NEED FOR AN INCREASED AMOUNT AND AN IMPROVED QUALITY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION. HE WAS CONCERNED THAT TECHNICAL EDUCATION SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF AS A SECOND BEST FOR THE LESS GIFTED, WHICH WAS UNFORTUNATELY THE IMPRESSION WHICH CAME OVER FROM SEVERAL KEY PHRASES IN THE GREEN PAPER.
HE THOUGHT WE SHOULD BROADEN EVERY TYPE OF EDUCATION AND REGRETTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT CONSIDER INTRODUCING 'LIBERAL STUDIES' AS PART OF THE REGULAR CURRICULUM IN THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES,
HE DID NOT REGARD THE INTRODUCTION OF CLASSES IN ART AND DESIGN, DRESSMAKING AND COMMERCE AND SECONDARY IV AND V AS A SERIOUS ATTEMPT TO BROADEN EDUCATION AND DID NOT ACCEPT THE RELUCTANCE OF THE GREEN PAPER TO DEAL CONSTRUCTIVELY
WITH THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF THE PURE ARTS AS OPPOSED TO THEIR
INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS.
/HE DOUBTED