WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1982
BUT THE AUTHORITIES HAVE HESITATED TO REDUCE THE NUMBERS IN THESE SCHOOLS AS THEY FEAR THEIR MANAGERS WILL OBJECT TO THE LOWERING OF THEIR INCOME FROM FEES, SHE ADDED.
QUOTING STATISTICS, MISS BENNETT SAID 24.71 PER CENT, OR 22 000 OUT OF THE 89 000 NEW FORM STUDENTS WERE ALLOCATED TO 64 SUCH SCHOOLS WITH BOUGHT PLACES IN SEPTEMBER 1982.
SHE EMPHASISED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE PARENTS OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE NO CHOICE IN PLACING THEIR CHILDREN IN OTHER SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY CAN NEITHER AFFORD TO SEND THEM OVERSEAS NOR TO THE GOVERNMENT AND FULLY-AIDED SCHOOLS WHERE THERE ARE FEW VACANCIES.
+ CONSIDER THIS ASPECT OF OUR SECONDARY EDUCATION TO BE SERIOUSLY IN NEED OF REMEDY, ESPECIALLY AS THE CHILDREN IN CERTAIN AREAS HAVE A MUCH HIGHER CHANCE OF GOING TO THESE SCHOOLS WHICH ARE LESS WELL PROVISIONED.
+STUDY THE NUMBERS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS AVAILABLE TO THE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND YOU WILL FIND THAT IN MANY PARTS OF KOWLOON, THE GREATER TSUEN WAN AREA AND THE YUEN LONG AREA, THERE IS A FAR GREATER CHANCE OF THE CHILD BEING ALLOCATED TO ONE OF THESE INFERIOR SCHOOLS,+ SHE SAID.
AS FOR THE TEACHER-STUDENT RATIO, MISS BENNETT SAID THAT IN THE SCHOOLS RUN BY ONE OF THE PRIVATE ORGANISATIONS, THE RATIO IS 1:35 IN SCHOOLS OF ANOTHER ORGANISATION, IT IS 1:42; BUT IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS IT IS JUST 1:25.
GOVERNMENT FUNDS ALLOCATED ON THE BASIS OF THE STANDARD COST OF EDUCATION PER CHILD PER ANNUM IN 1982-83 AMOUNTED TO $7 510 PER CHILD IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS, 35 914 IN AIDED SCHOOLS, AND $1 872 IN PRIVATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WITH BOUGHT PLACES.
SAID.
+I QUESTION WHETHER THIS MONEY IS BEING WISELY SPENT,+ SHE
+ THE CHILDREN IN THOSE SCHOOLS ARE NOT BENEFITING FROM OUR EDUCATION REFORMS.
+HOW CAN THE GOVERNMENT ENFORCE ITS POLICY RELATING TO IMPROVEMENTS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING AND OTHER MATTERS IN THESE SCHOOLS?+
IF THE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO CONTINUE TO USE THESE SCHOOLS, MISS BENNETT WENT ON, MORE MONEY SHOULD BE PUT INTO THEM IN ORDER TO UPGRADE THE IR QUALITY.
AND IF MORE MONEY IS GIVEN TO THEM IN SUBSIDY, THE GOVERNMENT MUST MAKE MORE DEMANDS ON THEM AND KEEP STRICTER CONTROL.
+WE MIGHT CONSIDER DRAWING UP A PROFIT CONTROL SCHEME FOR THESE SCHOOLS ON A PAR WITH THE SCHEMES OF CONTROL FOR THE UTILITIES, + SHE SAID.
/TURNING TO