WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1979
10
NO MORE IN-SERVICE TRAINING COURSES FOR UNTRAINED PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ******
IN-SERVICE TRAINING COURSES FOR UNTRAINED PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS WILL NO LONGER BE HELD, THE HON. KENNETH TOPLEY, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS (WEDNESDAY) AFTERNOON.
THE REASON, HE ADDED, WAS THAT THE WHOLE OF THE TEACHING FORCE IN PUBLIC-SECTOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS WAS NOW FULLY QUALIFIED AND THERE WAS NO LONGER SUCH A NEED.
+ IN THE LIGHT OF THE WHITE PAPER PLANS FOR SYSTEMATIC RETRAINING PROGRAMMES AS WELL AS THE LENGTHENING OF FULL-TIME AND IN-SERVICE (SECONDARY) COURSES AND THESE ARE HIGHLY DESIRABLE MEASURES TO BRING ABOUT REAL IMPROVEMENTS IN THE QUALITY OF THE TEACHING FORCE - THE DEPARTMENT'S FOREMOST COMMITMENT IN TEACHER TRAINING IS TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR, THE DIRECTOR SAID.
MR. TOPLEY WAS REPLYING TO THE REV. THE HON. JOYCE BENNETT WHO HAD EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT NOTWITHSTANDING FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION, SOME 74,000 CHILDREN WERE STUDYING IN 178 PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS WHICH EMPLOYED 1,828 UNTRAINED TEACHERS.
THE DIRECTOR SAID THE FACT THAT SO MANY CHILDREN ATTENDED THESE SCHOOLS WAS A REFLECTION OF PARENTAL PREFERENCE.
+THERE ARE IN FACT MORE THAN ENOUGH PLACES IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOLS TO CATER FOR THESE CHILDREN IF THEIR PARENTS WANT THEM TO LEAVE THE PRIVATE SECTOR, MR. TOPLEY SAID.
HE ADDED THAT THERE WOULD BE UNTRAINED TEACHERS IN PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS SO LONG AS THESE SCHOOLS EXISTED SINCE MOST WERE NOT IN A POSITION TO PAY THE SALAR IES DEMANDED BY TRAINED TEACHERS.
+THIS MAY BE REGARDED AS UNSATISFACTORY BUT THE RESOLUTION OF THIS SITUATION IS IN THE HANDS OF THE SCHOOLS AND THE PARENTS WHO SUPPORT THEM.
+1 SHOULD ADD, HOWEVER, THAT SHOULD FUTURE CIRCUMSTANCES WARRANT A REVIVAL OF THE IN-SERVICE (PRIMARY) COURSES FOR ANY REASON, THEN THEY WILL ONCE AGAIN BE MADE AVAILABLE IN ACCORDANCE TO NEED, THE DIRECTOR SAID.
MISS BENNETT HAD ALSO EARLIER QUERIED ABOUT THE CAPACITY OF THE DEPARTMENT'S ADVISORY INSPECTORATE TO COPE WITH THE INCREASED WORKLOAD AS A RESULT OF BRINGING THE CAPUT GRANT SCHOOLS ONTO FULL AID.
/. TOPLEY