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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1978
FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN QUALITY OF EDUCATION
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THE GOVERNMENT WILL SHORTLY PUBLISH A WHITE PAPER CONTAINING REVISED PLANS ON SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON.
AS WELL AS PROVIDING FOR A GREAT EXPANSION OF PLACES, THE WHITE PAPER WILL REFLECT THE IMPORTANCE THE GOVERNMENT ATTACHES TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SECONDARY EDUCATION.
HE SAID: THE MOST IMPORTANT RELEVANT STEP ENVISAGED WILL BE A PHASED SCHEME TO RAISE 'PER CAPUT' SCHOOLS TO FULLY-AIDED STATUS SO AS TO ENSURE PROPER FACILITIES AND MORE UNIFORM STANDARDS IN ALL SCHOOLS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR.+
SIR MURRAY POINTED OUT THAT +QUALITY WILL ALSO BE IMPROVED BY BROADEN ING THE CURRICULUM TO GIVE MORE WEIGHT TO PRACTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS, BY IMPROVING, AND WHERE APPLICABLE, LENGTHENING, TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMMES, AND BY STRENGTHENING SCHOOLS SUPPORT SERVICES.+
ON TERTIARY AND HIGHER EDUCATION, THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSED THAT THE POLYTECHNIC SHOULD RAISE THE LEVEL OF SOME OF ITS WORK, AND THAT, IN COMPENSATION, MORE ORDINARY TECHNICAL PROGRAMMES SHOULD BE PROVIDED IN THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES WHICH SHOULD BE EXPANDED ACCORDINGLY.
THE GOVERNOR SAID DISCUSSIONS HAD TAKEN PLACE WITH THE COLLEGES RECOGNISED UNDER THE POST-SECONDARY COLLEGES ORDINANCE ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH THEY MIGHT CONTRIBUTE TO ACHIEVING THE GOVERNMENT'S TARGETS FOR SIXTH FORM AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, AND THE FRUITS OF THESE DISCUSSIONS WOULD BE PRESENTED IN THE WHITE PAPER.
ON THE SCALE OF EXPANSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HOPED TO ACHIEVE BY ABOUT 1986, THE GOVERNOR LISTED THE FOLLOWING TARGETS:
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RAISING FROM 25.7 PER CENT TO ABOUT 83 PER CENT THE NUMBER OF SUBSIDISED PLACES FOR THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP
IN SECONDARY FORMS 4 AND 5, OR IN POST-FORM 3 COURSES IN TECHNICAL INSTITUTES. THESE INCREASES, COUPLED WITH AN EXPANSION OF ADULT EDUCATION CENTRES, SHOULD BE ABLE TO MEET MOST OF THE DEMAND EXPECTED IN THE 1980S FROM STUDENTS LEAVING FORM 3.
INCREASING FROM 5.5 PER CENT TO ABOUT 20 PER CENT THE NUMBER OF SUBSIDISED PLACES FOR THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP FOR FORM 6.
RAISING FROM 17.9 PER CENT TO ABOUT 33 PER CENT BY 1986 THE NUMBER OF SUBSIDISED PLACES FOR THE AGE GROUP FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION (INCLUDING UNIVERSITIES, POLYTECHNIC, THE SCHOOLS OF NURSING AND EDUCATION, AND POST-FORM 5 COURSES IN TECHNICAL INSTITUTES).
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