9
ND
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1982
NEED FOR LONG TERM SCHOOL POLICIES STRESSED
******
HONG KONG MUST HAVE CONSISTENT LONG-TERM STRATEGIES AND PRAGMATIC SHORTER-TERM IMPLEMENTATION PLANS IN ITS EFFORTS TO SHAPE AND DEVELOP THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE CHILDREN AND THE COMMUNITY, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, THE HON COLVYN HAYE, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS (THURSDAY) AFTERNOON.
MR HAYE SAID HE WAS GLAD THAT EDUCATION WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR TOPICS IN THE COUNCIL AS WELL OVER A MILLION CHILDREN WERE IN SCHOOL.
HE THANKED THE REV JOYCE BENNETT, MRS SELINA CHOW, DR HENRIETTA IP AND MR STEPHEN CHEONG FOR THEIR COMMENTS ON THE EDUCATION SERVICE, WHICH HE SAID WAS STILL GROWING RAPIDLY IN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE TERMS.
+ IT IS ONLY RIGHT THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO EVALUATE AND DEBATE OUR EDUCATIONAL POLICIES AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION TO HELP ENSURE THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WILL BE PROPERLY SHAPED AND DEVELOPED TO MEET THE NEEDS BOTH OF OUR CHILDREN AND OF OUR COMMUNITY, MR HAYE SAID.
TURNING TO MISS BENNETT'S COMMENTS ON THE STANDARDS OF PRIVATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WITH BOUGHT PLACES AND THE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM, THE DIRECTOR SAID THAT THIS WAS A MATTER TO WHICH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD ALWAYS ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE.
MR HAYE LISTED IN DETAIL EXAMPLES OF THE DAY-TO-DAY HELP OFFERED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO THESE SCHOOLS, INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES OF THE ADVISORY INSPECTORATE, IN-SERVICE TRAINING AND REFRESHER COURSES FOR TEACHERS, FULL ACCESSIBILITY TO THE VARIOUS TEACHING CENTRES, AND EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION, AMONG OTHERS.
THIS YEAR, AS PART OF THE LANGUAGE PACKAGE+ PRIVATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS WITH BOUGHT PLACES WERE ALSO SUPPLIED WITH A WIRE-FREE INDUCTION LOOP SYSTEM TO ASSIST THEM IN THE TEACHING OF LANGUAGES AND OTHER SUBJECTS.
HE SAID HE APPRECIATED THAT THE KEY TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS MUST BE ADEQUATE SALARIES FOR THE TEACHERS AND SAID THIS WAS PARTICULARLY REFLECTED IN THE APPROVED INCREASES OF SCHOOL FEES ANNUALLY.
+WE ENSURE THAT IMPROVEMENTS IN PRIVATE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL TEACHERS' SALARIES MATCH INFLATION AND THE PERCENTAGE INCREASE IN THE SALARIES OF TEACHERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR. IN ADDITION, WE PROVIDE A MARGIN WHICH IS SYMPATHETICALLY FLEXIBLE TO GIVE TEACHERS IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS MORE, SO THAT THEY WILL REMAIN TO SERVE IN THE SCHOOLS IN WHICH THEY ARE EMPLOYED, AND WE DO OUR UTMOST TO ENABLE SCHOOLS TO EMPLOY ADDITIONAL TEACHERS,+ MR HAYE SAID.
/ARRANGEMENTS FOR
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