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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1978
COMMENTING ON SCHOOLS FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN
MR. SUN SAID IT WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO BUILD A FEW SCHOOLS AND RELY ON CONVERTING UNDER-UTILISED PRIMARY SCHOOLS INTO SPECIAL SCHOOLS, BUT IN MOST CASES THE SCHOOLS WERE NOT INTERESTED IN THE CONVERSION.
+ANOTHER DIFFICULTY IS THE SHORTAGE OF TRAINED PERSONNEL HE ADDED.
THERE IS A VERY SEVERE SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND SPEECH THERAPISTS, AND OVERSEAS TRAINING WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME.
MR. SUN SAW ONE SOLUTION IN HAVING TRAINING COURSES RUN LOCALLY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.
+ANOTHER CRUCIAL SHORTAGE IS THAT OF TEACHERS OF THE RIGHT CALIBRE AND SUITABLE PERSONALITY TO TEACH HANDICAPPED CHILDREN, HE SAID.
+MOST OF THE DIFFICULTIES I OUTLINED ABOVE STEM FROM JUST ONE CAUSE AND THAT IS THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING, LOVE AND SYMPATHY WITH THE HANDICAPPED CHILDREN, MR. SUN SAID.
HE SAID IF THE ATTITUDES OF PARENTS, SPONSORS OF ORDINARY SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS WERE CHANGED, THE DIFFICULTIES WOULD BE MINIMISED.
CHILDREN TRAINING CENTRE IN PAK TIN OPENS
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THE DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL WELFARE MR. THOMAS LEE, TODAY CALLED ON MORE VOLUNTARY AGENCIES TO OFFER THEIR SERVICES TO SEVERELY MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN.
HE SAID THAT WITH AN ESTIMATED 2,000 SEVERELY MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN, MANY MORE TRAINING CENTRES WOULD NEED TO BE SET UP TO MEET THE DEMAND.
MR. LEE WAS SPEAKING AT A CEREMONY TO OFFICIALLY OPEN THE PAK TIN CHILDREN TRAINING CENTRE RUN BY THE MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION OF HONG KONG.
/THE NEW