FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1983
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PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS' VITAL ROLE STRESSED
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PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS FORMED AN IMPORTANT PART OF HONG KONG'S SECONDARY EDUCATION SYSTEM, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR COLVYN HAYE, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION ON STUDENT PROJECTS FOR PRACTICAL SUBJECTS ORGANISED BY THE HONG KONG PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS COUNCIL, MR HAYE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED A NUMBER OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS HERE. HE SAID HE WAS SURE THAT THESE DEVELOPMENTS WOULD MAKE PARENTS EVEN MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT THIS TYPE OF SCHOOL.
HE NOTED THAT PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ORIGINALLY OFFERED ONLY THREE YEARS OF JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION.
+HOWEVER, AS A RESULT OF RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE 1978 WHITE PAPER ON SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, FORM FOUR AND FIVE CLASSES WERE INTRODUCED IN 1981 TO PREPARE A PROPORTION OF THE IR STUDENTS FOR TECHNICIAN COURSES IN THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.+
+FORM FIVE STUDENTS FROM THESE SCHOOLS TOOK THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR AND I AM PLEASED TO NOTE THAT THE IR PERFORMANCE WAS PROMISING, ESPECIALLY IN THE TECHNICAL AND PRACTICAL SUBJECTS, HE SAID.
BETWEEN 70 PER CENT AND 90 PER CENT OF THE STUDENTS TAKING ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICITY, ENGINEERING METALWORK AND TECHNICAL DRAWING, PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTS AND TYPING OBTAINED GRADE E OR ABOVE, MR HAYE ADDED.
DESCRIBING THESE RESULTS AS ENCOURAGING, MR HAYE NOTED THAT THEY CONFIRMED THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S BELIEF THAT PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS FORM AN IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE PART OF THE SECONDARY EDUCATION SYSTEM.
IN THIS CONNECTION, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD ALREADY STARTED TO BUILD 12 MORE NEW PRÉ-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS, AND THE FIRST OF THESE WOULD BE COMPLETED IN 1984.
THIS IS THE CMA CHOI CHEUNG KOK PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOL IN TUEN MUN. IT WILL BE A STANDARD PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOL WITH 16 CLASSROOMS, NINE WORKSHOPS AND SEVEN SPECIAL ROOMS AND WILL EVENTUALLY OPERATE 25 CLASSES FROM FORM ONE TO FIVE ACCOMMODATING 1000 STUDENTS. THIS SCHOOL WILL OFFER AIR-CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION, AND LIGHT METALWORK AND FINISHING AS SPECIAL SUBJECTS.
IT WILL COST $20 MILLION TO BUILD AND EQUIP THE SCHOOL.
THE OTHER 11 NEW PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS, WHICH WILL BE COMPLETED FROM 1985, WILL BE OF A SIMILAR HIGH STANDARD, MR HAYE SAID.
HE SAID TWO NEW SUBJECTS - LIGHT METALWORK AND FINISHING, AND MARINE ENGINEERING - WILL BE INTRODUCED IN NEW PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS.
/+THEY ARE