WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1984
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MORE SCHOOL CHILDREN TAKING COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS
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ABOUT 1 000 STUDENTS TOOK PART IN THIS YEAR'S COMMERCE PROJECT COMPETITION AND THIS WAS +VERY ENCOURAGING+, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (CHIEF INSPECTOR OF SCHOOLS), MR JOHN WINFIELD SAID TODAY.
HE WAS SPEAKING AT THE PRESENTATION OF PRIZES FOR THE COMPETITION, WHICH WAS HELD AMONG FORMS FOUR TO SEVEN STUDENTS STUDYING COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS.
THE COMPETITION WAS JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE CHINESE GOLD AND SILVER EXCHANGE SOCIETY.
COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS, MR WINFIELD SAID, HAD MUCH TO OFFER IN PREPARING STUDENTS TO MEET CHANGES IN HONG KONG'S PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY.
+YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE 1980'S ARE GROWING UP IN A WORLD IN WHICH MODERN TECHNOLOGY IS CONSTANTLY IMPINGING UPON THEIR LIVES.
+ IF ONE LOOKS AT THE INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF KEYBOARD SKILLS, FOR EXAMPLE, BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF MICRO-ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY, THEN IT SEEMS CLEAR THAT THESE WILL PLAY AN EVER-INCREASING ROLE IN FURTHER STUDY, IN THE HOME AND AT WORK.
+HENCE, A BASIC TRAINING IN TYPEWRITING IS AN OBVIOUSLY VALUABLE SKILL FOR ANY STUDENT, HE SAID.
THE STUDY OF ACCOUNTING AND COMMERCIAL PRINCIPLES SHOWED HOW INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE OPERATED, AND HELPED THE STUDENTS TO APPRECIATE HOW AND WHY CERTAIN FINANCIAL DECISIONS WERE MADE, HE SAID.
MR WINFIELD SAID HE WAS PLEASED, TO NOTE THAT MORE SCHOOLS WERE OFFERING COMMERCIAL SUBJECTS IN SENIOR FORMS.
THE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES ENTERING FOR THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION IN PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTS ROSE FROM ABOUT 10 400 IN 1982 TO ALMOST 14 000 IN 1983, AN INCREASE OF 34 PER CENT IN ONE YEAR, HE ADDED.
THIS WAS VERY ENCOURAGING AND HE WAS SURE THAT COMPETITIONS OF THE KIND ORGANISED BY THE CHINESE GOLD AND SILVER EXCHANGE SOCIETY WOULD HELP TO BOOST INTEREST FURTHER, HE SAID,
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