MONDAY, MAY 7, 1984.
TURNING TO THE HEUNG YEE KUK TAI PO DISTRICT SECONDARY SCHOOL, SIR EDWARD RECALLED THAT THE KUK PROPOSED IN 1963 THAT IT SHOULD SPONSOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THREE GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, ONE IN EACH OF THE ELECTORAL DISTRICTS OF THE KUK, SO AS TO AVOID THE INCONVENIENCE TO STUDENTS WHO MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES TO SCHOOL.
+ THE FIRST OF THESE SCHOOLS WAS OPENED IN YUEN LONG IN 1969, AND THE SECOND WAS OPENED AT MUI WO IN THE ISLANDS TWO YEARS AGO,+ HE SAID.
+ THE OPENING OF THE TAI PO SCHOOL TODAY MARKS THE COMPLETION OF THIS FAR-SIGHTED PROPOSAL PUT FORWARD BY THE KUK ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO,+ HE SAID.
HOWEVER, SIR EDWARD NOTED THAT THE KUK'S PLANS WERE CONCEIVED BEFORE THE MAIN THRUST OF EXPANSION AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT HAD REACHED THE NEW TERRITORIES.
+NOW A RING OF NEW MODERN TOWNS SURROUNDS THE OLDER URBAN AREAS OF HONG KONG AND KOWLOON, LINKED BY TRANSPORT SYSTEMS TO SERVE THE GROWING NEEDS OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE AND A POPULATION WHICH HAS DOUBLED IN THE PAST 10 YEARS AND WHICH WILL REACH NEARLY THREE MILLION BY 1991, + HE SAID.
+ IN THIS SAME PERIOD BEFORE 1991, DECISIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN TO BUILD A FURTHER 36 SECONDARY SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT HONG KONG.
+NOW WE NEED TO EXAMINE THE NEXT PHASE OF URBAN EXPANSION AND TO SET OUT THE STRATEGY FOR THE NEEDS OF AN EXPANDING ECONOMY AND POPULATION IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
+THIS STRATEGIC PLAN IS NOW BEING ASSEMBLED AND DECISIONS AS TO THE NEXT BROAD AREAS TO DEVELOP ARE EXPECTED TO BE MADE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS YEAR, HE SAID.
EARLIER, THE GOVERNOR AND LADY YOUDE WERE MET ON ARRIVAL AT THE SCHOOL BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK, MR LAU WONG-FAT, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR COLVYN HAYE, AND THE TAI PO DISTRICT OFFICER, MR THOMAS CHAN.
AFTER THE OPENING CEREMONY, THEY TOURED THE SCHOOL AND WERE SHOWN VARIOUS FACILITIES INCLUDING THE HOME MANAGEMENT, WOODWORK AND METALWORK ROOMS.
BEFORE OFFICIATING AT THE CEREMONY, THE GOVERNOR AND LADY YOUDE ALSO VISITED CHOI YUEN ESTATE IN FANLING NEW TOWN.
ACCOMPANIED BY THE REGIONAL SECRETARY (NEW TERRITORIES), MR IAN MACPHERSON, THE NORTH DISTRICT OFFICER, MR IAN WOTHERSPOON, AND THE HOUSING MANAGER OF THE ESTATE, MR WAN YEUNG-KWAN, THEY HAD A LOOK AT MAJOR COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN THE ESTATE.
THE PARTY THEN PROCEEDED TO CHOI PING HOUSE, WHERE THEY VISITED THE MUTUAL AID COMMITTEE OFFICE AND MET THE MAC OFFICE BEARERS, AND LATER VISITED A FAMILY.
BEFORE LEAVING THE ESTATE FOR TAI PO, THEY WERE BRIEFED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF FANLING NEW TOWN BY THE PROJECT MANAGER OF TAI PC AND FANLING, MR R.B. HANNA, ON THE ROOF TOP OF CHOI PING HOUSE.
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