WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1985
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MEASURES TO BRING ABOUT EARLY ABOLITION OF JSEA
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NOT ENOUGH URGENCY IS BEING ATTACHED TO THE PHASING OUT OF JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSESSMENT (JSEA), A LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR STATED TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING IN THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO. 1, THE HON MRS SELINA CHOW SAID SHE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT THE PHASING OUT PROCESS SHOULD TAKE AS LONG AS SIX YEARS.
SHE SUPPORTED THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION ON THE ISSUE AS THE LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM+ BUT FELT THAT OTHER MEASURES COULD BE TAKEN TO BRING ABOUT ITS EARLY PHASING OUT,
+AFTER ALL, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 75 000 15-YEAR-OLDS BEING SUBJECT TO PRESSURES OF PUBLIC EXAMINATION FOR ADMINISTRATIVE RATHER THAN EDUCATIONAL REASONS FOR ANOTHER SIX YEARS.
+ IT IS CERTAINLY WORTH OUR EXPLORING OTHER WAYS, AND EVEN TO PAY A SMALL PRICE, IN ORDER THAT WE ARE RID OF THIS UNWANTED HURDLE IN THE SCHOOL CAREER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE,+ MRS CHOW SAID.
DEDUCING FROM PUBLISHED FIGURES, MRS CHOW SAID THE NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL SUBSIDISED FORM IV PLACES REQUIRED TO ACCOMMODATE THE ESTIMATED 70 000 THIRD FORMERS CONTINUING TO FORM IV WAS NO MORE THAN 15 000 IF THE JSEA WERE TO END IMMEDIATELY.
+AS THE 1985 JSEA HAS ALREADY BEEN CONDUCTED, THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE DATE FOR ITS PHASING OUT IS FROM 1986 ONWARDS, WHICH MEANS THAT 15 000 SUBSIDISED PLACES ARE NEEDED FROM THE 1986-87 ACADEMIC YEAR, SHE SAID.
NOTING THAT IF STAGE V AND VI OF THE SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAMME WERE TO BE MAINTAINED AT THE RATE RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMISSION, MRS CHOW SAID THE ONLY OTHER WAY OPEN TO GOVERNMENT WOULD BE TO BUY IN THE INTERIM 15 000 PLACES IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS, SOME OF WHICH MIGHT BE UNSATISFACTORY ACCORDING TO GOVERNMENT STANDARDS, BUT WERE NEVERTHELESS ALREADY PROVIDING AT THE MOMENT UNSUBSIDISED PLACES TO FOURTH FORMERS WHO HAD HITHERTO FAILED THE JSEA.
+ASSUMING SUCH PLACES ARE BOUGHT IN FORM IV STARTING IN THE 1986-87 ACADEMIC YEAR, THE FUNDS REQUIRED FOR THE FIRST YEAR WILL BE $33 MILLION (AT $220 PER PLACE FOR 15 000 PLACES) FOR THE FIRST YEAR, AND $66 MILLION FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
+STARTING 1989 AS THE NEWLY BUILT SCHOOLS COME ON STREAM, THE NUMBER OF PLACES IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS WILL BE PHASED DOWN, LEADING TO A DROP IN EXPENDITURE, SHE SAID.
+THIS ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURE CAN BE PARTLY OFFSET BY AN ADJUSTMENT FEE STUDENTS PAY TO FORM IV AND V SUBSIDISED PLACES WHICH IS NOW $60 PER MONTH, + SHE ADDED.
MRS CHOW
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