SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 1981
1
WELL-RUN PRIVATE SCHOOLS ARE HERE TO STAY
*****
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A PLACE IN THE HONG KONG EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR AN OUTSTANDING PRIVATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL, MR COLVYN HAYE, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING AT THE SPEECH DAY OF DELIA MEMORIAL SCHOOL IN KWUN TONG, HE SAID SINCE FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION WAS INTRODUCED IN 1971, MANY PARENTS STILL PREFERRED TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
+ IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT TODAY, OF A TOTAL OF 803 PRIMARY SCHOOLS, 672 ARE GOVERNMENT AND AIDED, AND 131 ARE PRIVATE AND INDEPENDENT.
+THIS IS TO SAY THAT FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOLS HAVE MANAGED TO COMPETE AND EXIST.
+ THE SAME SITUATION WILL PROBABLY APPLY TO THE SECONDARY SECTOR, THE DIRECTOR SAID.
FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAD
OUTNUMBERED GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS.
BUT THE BALANCE IS SHIFTING AND THERE ARE NOW 210 GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AND 191 PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
+BUT AGAIN, THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE GOOD PRIVATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WILL NOT SURVIVE. I AM SURE THAT SCHOOLS LIKE DELIA WILL ALWAYS HAVE A PLACE IN OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE WON THE RESPECT OF PARENTS, MR HAYE SAID.
ACTION AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL NUISANCE ***
THE WONG TAI SIN DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE IS TAKING ACTION TO CLEAR THE DISTRICT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL NUISANCE.
NOTICES OF CLEARANCE HAVE ALREADY BEEN POSTED ON JANUARY 2 BY THE CROWN LANDS AND SURVEY OFFICE ON STRUCTURES WHICH BLOCK FIRE ENGINES AND POSE HEALTH HAZARDS IN A LANE NEAR SZE ME! STREET.
THE CLEARANCE OPERATION IS EXPECTED TO START NEXT WEEK UNDER THE CONCERTED EFFORT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS, HOUSING, URBAN SERVICES AND FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENTS AS WELL AS THE POLICE AND THE CITY DISTRICT OFFICE.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, WHICH IS COORDINATING THE EFFORT, POINTED OUT THAT BACK LANES IN SAN PO KONG HAD LONG BEEN CLUTTERED WITH FIXED, UNLICENSED FOOD-STALLS AND SMALL-SCALE ENTERPRISES.
THESE STALLS CAUSE HYGIENE PROBLEMS AND ALSO OBSTRUCT THE ACCESS OF FIRE APPLIANCES INTO THE LANES IN EMERGENCIES, HE SAID.
/3UCH OBSTRUJVICK