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THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1979
NEW TEACHERS TOLD TO PROMOTE PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION
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MR. T.L. LAM, SENIOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (SCHOOLS AND SERVICES) TODAY (THURSDAY) URGED A GROUP OF NEWLY APPOINTED TEACHERS OF PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN HONG KONG.
+TEACHERS IN PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS, HE TOLD THE GATHERING ATTENDING AN INDUCTION COURSE AT CARITAS HOUSE, CAINE ROAD, +SHOULD FIRST GET TO KNOW THE CHARACTERISTICS OF PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION, ITS VALUE AND CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY, AND STRIVE TO PROMOTE THIS TYPE OF EDUCATION.+
+THEY SHOULD ASSIST STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS TO GAIN A CORRECT INSIGHT INTO PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION, AND BOOST LOCAL ECONOMY BY HELPING TO CREATE TECHNICALLY SKILLED WORKERS TO MAINTAIN THE GROWTH OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, HE SAID.
ALL PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ARE FULLY SUBSIDISED SECONDARY SCHOOLS, HE SAID, AND THEY FORM AN INTEGRAL LINK IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.
ANOTHER SPEAKER AT THE INDUCTION COURSE, MR. DAN WATERS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL) SAID THAT TECHNICAL EDUCATION-PREPARED YOUNG PEOPLE TO LIVE SATISFYING AND REWARDING PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIVES THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTER AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS LIFE IN BOTH WORK AND LEISURE.
HE SAID THAT WHEN THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR STARTED NEXT MONTH THERE WOULD BE 13 PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG WITH A TOTAL ENROLMENT OF OVER 9 000, ADDING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED TO BUILD ADDITIONAL PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS IN 1982.
+SUCH A DECISION REAFFIRMS THE VIEW THAT THESE SCHOOLS ARE FULFILLING AN IMPORTANT NEED IN OUR SOCIETY AND ARE WITHOUT DOUBT HERE TO STAY, MR. WATERS SAID.
REFERRING TO A PROPOSAL IN THE WHITE PAPER ON SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION TO PROVIDE A LIMITED NUMBER OF SENIOR SECONDARY STREAMS IN PREVOCATIONAL SCHOOLS, HE SAID: +IN THE FUTURE WE SHALL FIND THAT, AS CRAFT EDUCATION AND TRAINING BECOMES MORE SOPHISTICATED, ELEVEN YEARS OF GENERAL EDUCATION WILL BE A USEFUL BASE, IN SOME CASES, ON WHICH TO SUPERIMPOSE CRAFT EDUCATION AND TRAINING, ESPECIALLY AS OUR TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES AND BECOMES MORE SOPHISTICATED.+
THE ENTRY REQUIREMENT FOR CRAFT COURSES IS NORMALLY COMPLETION OF FORM 111, BUT IN THE LAST ACADEMIC YEAR ABOUT ONE OUT OF FOUR TECHNICAL INSTITUTE CRAFT STUDENTS HAD HAD A GENERAL EDUCATION BEYOND FORM 111 LEVEL.
NOTING THAT A GOOD SUPPLY OF CRAFTSMEN WAS ESSENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, MR. WATERS SAID WHETHER INDUSTRY WOULD BE ABLE TO ATTRACT FORM V LEAVERS TO BECOME CRAFTSMEN WOULD +DEPEND VERY MUCH ON THE WAGES AND FRINGE BENEFITS THAT INDUSTRY WILL BE PREPARED OR FORCED TO OFFER IF THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF CRAFTSMEN.+
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