ON
THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1981
+A VERY POSITIVE ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO PREVENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS FROM IMPOSING TESTS AND THE WRONG TYPE OF INTERVIEWS ON THE FIVE TO SIX YEAR OLDS.
+! WONDER, HOWEVER, HOW THE INTERVIEWS CAN BE PROPERLY CONDUCTED IN THE PRESENCE OF AN OFFICER FROM THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'.
+THE SHEER MECHANICS OF SUCH AN EXERCISE MAKES THE MIND BOGGLE.
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+WHAT KIND OF OFFICERS WILL BE DETAILED FOR THIS SERVICE CLERICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL STAFF? OR WHO?+ SHE ASKED.
SHE SAID SHE WOULD WATCH THIS DEVELOPMENT WITH INTEREST.
REGARDING THE REVISED QUOTA OF DISCRETIONARY PLACES GRANTED TO SCHOOLS, MISS BENNETT THOUGHT IT WAS CERTAINLY WORTH TRYING OUT.
BUT UNTIL THE EXACT BOUNDARIES OF EACH DISTRICT WAS KNOWN, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ASSESS THE SCHEME IN FULL.
SHE QUERIED WHETHER IT WAS POSSIBLE FOR EACH PRIMARY SCHOOL TO RECEIVE, FOR ITS RESTRICTED 30 PER CENT DISCRETIONARY PLACES, CHILDREN LIVING WITHIN ONE MILE OF THE SCHOOL.
AS THE GOVERNMENT HAS FOR A LONG TIME MADE IT A MATTER OF POLICY THAT NO CHILD SHOULD TRAVEL MORE THAN ONE MILE TO A PRIMARY SCHOOL, SHE URGED THAT HER SUGGESTION BE EXAMINED THOROUGHLY.
ALTHOUGH THE IMPROVEMENTS PROPOSED FOR THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS WERE MOST ATTRACTIVE, MISS BENNETT NOTED THE WHITE PAPER DID NOT TACKLE THE LANGUAGE QUESTION BEYOND ADVOCATING REMEDIAL TEACHING AND IMPROVED CURRICULUM FOR BOTH CHINESE AND ENGLISH.
THE WHOLE QUESTION OF HOW MUCH AND WHAT TYPE OF ENGLISH SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN KINDERGARTENS AND HOW MANY ENGLISH KINDERGARTEN CLASSES SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN EACH DISTRICT MUST ALSO BE TACKLED.
BILINGUALISM IN OUR SOCIETY IS IMPORTANT AND WE NEED TO DECIDE THE PROPER AGE AT WHICH TO ENCOURAGE IT.
CONCLUDING, MISS BENNETT WARNED THAT WE MUST NOT DELUDE OURSELVES INTO THINKING THAT OUR PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES AND PRIMARY EDUCATION ARE NOW AUTOMATICALLY IMPROVED WITH THE ISSUE OF THIS WHITE PAPER.
+MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE IN CLARIFYING THE GREY AREAS, SOME OF WHICH I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MENTION THIS AFTERNOON.
IN ADDITION, GOVERNMENT AND THE VOLUNTARY BODIES MUST WORK TOGETHER TO IMPLEMENT THE CHANGES ADVOCATED IN THE WHITE PAPER,+ SHE SAID,
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