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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 1983
POLICY ON TEACHER TRAINING EXPLAINED
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THE GOVERNMENT'S PRESENT POLICY IN UPGRADING THE QUALITY OF TEACHERS OF PRACTICAL AND CULTURAL SUBJECTS THROUGH THE ADVANCED COURSE OF TEACHER EDUCATION OFFERED AT THE FOUR COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IS TO EQUIP THEM TO TEACH UP TO FORM FIVE LEVEL IN THE IR CHOSEN SPECIALISMS, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR COLVYN HAYE, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
IN REPLY TO QUESTIONS RAISED BY REV. THE HON JOYCE BENNETT AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR HAYE SAID THE ADVANCED COURSE COMPRISED A CORE OF STUDIES IN EDUCATION, EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES AND LANGUAGE SKILLS WHICH ALL STUDENTS MUST FOLLOW.
IN ADDITION, EACH STUDENT IS REQUIRED TO STUDY IN DEPTH, ON AN ELECTIVE BASIS, ONE AREA OF SUBJECT SPECIALISATION, AND TÓ TAKE UP PRACTICAL TEACHING IN SCHOOLS. FOR TECHNICAL TEACHERS THE PRACTICAL TEACHING ELEMENT IS REPLACED BY A PERIOD OF ATTACHMENT TO INDUSTRY,
THERE ARE SIX PRACTICAL AND CULTURAL SUBJECTS IN THE COURSE, NAMELY ART AND DESIGN, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, HOME MANAGEMENT, DRESS AND DESIGN, MUSIC, AND DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY.
MR HAYE SAID THIS YEAR ONLY FIVE OF THESE COURSES WOULD BE HELD BECAUSE THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH SUITABLE CANDIDATES TO JUSTIFY EXPENSIVE COLLEGE RESOURCES FOR THE SIXTH.
IN DECIDING THE RANGE OF THESE COURSES, THEIR NATURE AND OBJECTIVES, MR HAYE SAID THAT IT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING THAT THE NEEDS OF SCHOOLS, THE LACK OF LOCAL TEACHERS IN THE SUBJECTS CONCERNED, THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE CAPACITY OF THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION TO MOUNT COURSES DICTATE POLICY.
ALTHOUGH THE ADVANCED COURSE OF TEACHER EDUCATION WAS IMPORTANT, THE DIRECTOR SAID IT WAS ONLY PART OF THE MASSIVE TRAINING AND RE-TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS IN THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION.
+PRIORITIES MUST BE SET AMONG VARIOUS TRAINING AREAS SO AS NOT TO AFFECT THE GOVERNMENT'S OVERALL TEACHER TRAINING COMMITMENT WHICH, OF NECESSITY, MUST LIE IN THE NEW TWO AND THREE-YEAR BASIC TRAINING COURSES, MR HAYE SAID.
HE ADDED THAT THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION WERE UNDERGOING A MAJOR PROGRAMME OF EXPANSION TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL TEACHERS FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THIS HAD BEEN CAREFULLY PLANNED SO AS NOT TO OVER STRETCH COLLEGE RESOURCES AND LOWER STANDARDS. EXPANSION OF THE ADVANCED COURSE WOULD TAKE PLACE IF IT WAS JUSTIFIED AND FEASIBLE, HE SAID.
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