WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1983
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HK EDUCATION PRODUCES WORLD BEATERS: HAYE
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THERE CANNOT BE TOO MUCH WRONG WITH AN EDUCATION SYSTEM WHICH CONSTANTLY PRODUCES WORLD BEATERS, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR COLVYN HAYE, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE SPEECH DAY OF ST. MARK'S COLLEGE, MR HAYE ADDED THAT BY WORLD BEATERS HE MEANT BOYS AND GIRLS WHO COULD +HOLD THEIR OWN IN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY.-
+THIS HAS NOT COME ABOUT THROUGH CHANCE OR LUCK, HE SAID. +IT HAS HAPPENED BECAUSE WE HAVE DEDICATED TEACHERS, LIVELY AND HARD-WORKING CHILDREN AND A FUNDAMENTALLY SOUND EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.+
TALKING ABOUT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, MR HAYE SAID THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAD DONE MUCH OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS OF WHICH THEY COULD BE PROUD.
NOTING THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WAS IN A SHAMBLES AFTER WORLD WAR 11, MR HAYE SAID HONG KONG HAD TO START FROM SCRATCH TO BUILD IT UP AGAIN.
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+WE HAD HARDLY STARTED WHEN WE WERE SUBJECTED TO THE FIRST OF MANY GIANT WAVES OF IMMIGRATION.
+EDUCATIONAL PLANNING BECAME A NIGHTMARE, HE RECALLED.
+THE SHEER VOLUME OF YOUNG PEOPLE DEMANDING THE MOST ELEMENTARY EDUCATION LED TO MASSIVE SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAMMES AND IT WAS TO OUR IMMENSE CREDIT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SAY BY 1971 THAT EVERY PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILD WHO WANTED AT LEAST SIX YEARS' EDUCATION COULD GET IT FREE.+
+THEN BY 1978, WE WERE ABLE TO SAY THE SAME THING OF EVERY CHILD WHO WANTED JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION,+ MR HAYE SAID.
MR HAYE STRESSED THAT THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION WAS HOWEVER, NOT FORGOTTEN.
+SCHOOLS TODAY HAVE MORE TEACHERS, BETTER TRAINED TEACHERS, A WIDE AND LIBERAL CURRICULUM, THE BENEFIT OF SPECIALIST ADVICE AND SERVICES, A VARIETY OF AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS INCLUDING A WORLD FAMOUS EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION SERVICE, AND THEY PRODUCE BOYS AND GIRLS WHO ARE WORLD BEATERS, HE ADDED.
MR HAYE ALSO NOTED THAT MUCH OF THE SUCCESS ACHIEVED IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM HAD BEEN THE RESULT OF TRULY EFFECTIVE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS, THEIR MANAGEMENT AND SPONSORING ORGANISATIONS, AND THE GOVERNMENT, IN PARTICULAR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.
+ IT IS A SYSTEM WE BELIEVE MUST BE MAINTAINED AND WHEREVER POSSIBLE IMPROVED. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT IT CAN BE, GIVEN CONTINUING UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION BY ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLES OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM.+
HE EMPHASISED THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WILL CERTAINLY CONTINUE TO PLAY ITS PART BY PROVIDING AS MUCH SUPPORT AS IT CAN, NOT ONLY TO ST. MARK'S BUT TO ALL THE SCHOOLS WITHIN THE AREA OF ITS RESPONSIBILITY.+