THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1987
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CONFIDENCE IN EDUCATION A VITAL ISSUE
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THE ISSUE OF CONFIDENCE IN EDUCATION WAS A VITAL ONE, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION, MR KENNETH TOPLEY, SAID TODAY. HER SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE FIRST CONFERENCE FOR EDUCATIONAL WORKERS' UNIONS, ORGANISED BY THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL NON-GRADUA (S TEACHERS UNION.
+PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN EDUCATION IS CLOSELY LINKED WITH PARENTS' CONFIDENCE IN TEACHERS. IF TEACHERS LOSE THE RESPECT OF PARENTS AND OF CITIZENS GENERALLY THEN THE WHOLE PUBLIC SYSTEM OF EDUCATION MUST SUFFER,+ MR TOPLEY SAID. THIS MEANS THAT UNIONS OF EDUCATIONAL WORKERS BEAR A RESPONSIBILITY NOT ONLY TOWARDS THEIR OWN MEMBERS BUT TOWARDS THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. WHAT IS MORE, THE UNIONS IN REGARDING THE INTERESTS OF THEIR OWN MEMBERS HAVE TO CONSIDER AT ALL TIMES THE EFFECT OF THEIR ACTIONS ON THE PUBLIC.+
MR TOPLEY POINTED OUT THAT PUBLIC CONFIDENCE HAD UNDERGONE DAMAGE FROM THE IMAGE PROJECTED BY SOME EDUCATIONAL WORKERS' UNIONS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD WHERE THE NEEDS OF THE TEACHING SERVICE HAD BECOME CONFUSED IN THE EYES OF THE PUBLIC WITH THE INTERESTS OF TEACHERS UNIONS.
CYNICISM AND DISTRUST OF EDUCATIONAL WORKERS UNIONS COULD THWART PLANS FOR QUITE GENUINE AND PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, MR TOPLEY SAID. +THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN IN HONG KONG BECAUSE IT WILL NOT ONLY HINDER THE QUALITATIVE IMPROVEMENTS TO WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAS SET ITS HAND AND MIND, IT WILL ALSO DAMAGE THE STATUS OF TEACHERS.
+ IN THE LONG RUN RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR MUST BE THE BEST POLICY, HE ADDED.
MR TOPLEY CONGRATULATED THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS UNION ON THEIR INITIATIVE IN ORGANISING THE CONFERENCE AND WELCOMED THE PARTICIPANTS. IT WAS PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE, HE SAID, THAT THIS CONFERENCE SHOULD TAKE PLACE NOW WHEN HONG KONG EDUCATION WAS UNDERGOING AN OVERALL REVIEW THIS WAS A FIRST-CLASS OPPORTUNITY FOR EDUCATIONAL WORKERS' UNIONS TO REVIEW THEIR OWN ROLE IN EDUCATION AND IN THE COMMUNITY.
HE WISHED THE CONFERENCE EVERY SUCCESS, SAYING THAT IT MUST REACH ITS OWN CONCLUSIONS AND HE WOULD ́LIMIT HIS COUNSEL TO ONE ITEM. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR THINKING TO BECOME SET ON LINES WHICH ARE TOO NARROW, HE SAID. +TAKE A BROAD VIEW AND YOU WILL AVOID MANY PITFALLS.+
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