TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1985
SIR DAVID STRESSES HK'S NEED FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE
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HONG KONG NEEDED ITS INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE
ENGLISH -
IF IT WAS TO MAINTAIN ITS POSITION AS A COSMOPOLITAN BASE, WITH AN INTERNATIONAL DIMENSION, FOR BUSINESS OPERATIONS INVOLVING CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRIES OF THE REGION, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY.
POINTING OUT THAT HE HAD HEARD IT SAID: +WHY BOTHER WITH ENGLISH, AFTER 1997 WE WON'T NEED IT.+ SIR DAVID TOLD THE CONVOCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: +THIS SIMPLISTIC APPROACH MUST BE CONTRADICTED WHENEVER IT EMERGES AND, IF PERSUASION IS NEEDED THEN LET ATTENTION BE DRAWN TO THE ENORMOUS EFFORT BEING PUT INTO ENGLISH TEACHING WITHIN CHINA ITSELF.+
SIR DAVID ALSO SAID THAT HONG KONG ENJOYED A SUSTAINED LONG PERIOD OF GROWTH THROUGHOUT A PERIOD OF STRAIN AND CRISIS IN MOST OF THE REST OF THE WORLD.
+BUT WE MUST KEEP IT THAT WAY. WE MUST KEEP AHEAD, AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE GOODS AND SERVICES OF HIGHER QUALITY THAN OUR COMPETITORS. THE INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION HAVE A VITAL PART TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG,+ HE SAID.
THESE INSTITUTES AND ALL LEVELS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM HAD TO BE GEARED TO THIS CONCEPT OF MAINTAINING, AND STRENGTHENING HONG KONG'S ROLE IN THE REGION, AND, AS AN INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF COMMERCE AND FINANCE, SIR DAVID SAID.
HE SAID THAT DURING THE PAST ONE OR TWO YEARS+ THE TIES BETWEEN HONG KONG'S TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS AND THOSE IN CHINA HAD BEEN GROWING. THESE VISITS AND COURSES OF STUDY HAD BECOME AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA, AND, PROVIDED THEY COULD BE ACCOMMODATED WITHOUT DEPRIVING HONG KONG'S OWN GRADUATE STUDENTS, WAS A DEVELOPMENT TO BE WELCOMED, HE SAID.
AS PART OF THE CHANGING SCENE IN HONG KONG'S VOLATILE AND LIVELY SOCIETY, SIR DAVID SAID, A QUIET REVOLUTION HAD TAKEN PLACE IN THE EFFORT THAT THE COMMUNITY HAD BEEN PUTTING INTO DEVELOPING THOSE ORGANISATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS WHICH SUPPORTED HONG KONG'S TRADE AND INDUSTRY AND, THEREFORE, THE ECONOMY.
+NOTHING COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT, FOR, WITHOUT ECONOMIC STRENGTH AND GROWTH AND WITHOUT ADAPTATION TO A SHIFTING INTERNATIONAL SITUATION, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT SOCIAL PROGRESS, AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE MEANINGLESS, + SIR DAVID SAID.
+MUCH BETTER TO THINK ABOUT SOCIAL PROGRESS AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT WHEN THE ORDER BOOKS ARE FULL, EXPORTS ARE GROWING AND THE RICE BOWL IS FULL!+
THE ORGANISATIONS,