10

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1985

+AFTER TAKING THE ADVICE OF EXPERTS AND AFTER MUCH CONSULTATION AND COGITATION, WE HAVE ADOPTED MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN AND IMPROVE OUR TEACHING OF BOTH LANGUAGES.+

SIR DAVID SAID THAT BASICALLY THESE COULD BE SUMMED UP AS MORE TEACHERS AND MORE BOOKS. MORE NATIVE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH, NOT ONLY TEACHING THEMSELVES BUT TEACHING TEACHERS, AND MORE TEXTBOOKS WRITTEN IN CHINESE, HE ADDED.

EARLIER IN HIS SPEECH, SIR DAVID SAID THAT THE ENGLISH SPEAKING UNION WAS THE PRODUCT OF THE VISION AND ENERGY OF TWO MEN EVELYN WRENCH, AN ENGLISHMAN, AND ALEXANDER SMITH COCHRAN, AN AMERICAN AFTER THE TWO WORLD WARS.

HE SAID THAT THE ESSENTIAL INSIGHT UPON WHICH THE UNION WAS FOUNDED THAT PEACE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT DEPENDED UPON

INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING AND THAT UNDERSTANDING DEPENDED IN TURN UPON COMMUNICATION REMAINED EVERY BIT AS VALID TODAY AS IT WAS IN THE YEARS AFTER THE GREAT WAR.

+THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH AS A MEDIUM OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION -- WHICH THE UNION HAS DONE SO MUCH OVER THE YEARS TO PROMOTE MUST BE SEEN IN THIS LIGHT.

+ IT IS NO LONGER THE SPECIAL LINGUISTIC PROPERTY OF ANY NATION. IT IS A MEANS ALL OVER THE WORLD BY WHICH PEOPLE CAN TALK TO THE PEOPLE OF OTHER NATIONS+ SCIENTIST TO SCIENTIST: TEACHER TO TEACHER: LEADER TO LEADER,+ HE SAID.

0

THE CHIEF SECRETARY SAID THAT HONG KONG, WITH ITS DETERMINATION TO MASTER THE NEED TO LOOK INWARD TO ITS CULUTRAL AND LINGUISTIC FOUNDATIONS AND OUTWARD TO THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION AND THE WORLD UNDOUBTEDLY FACED A CHALLENGE, BUT YOU WILL HAVE SEEN HOW HONG KONG IS FACING ITS OTHER PROBLEMS.

+1 AM CONF IDENT THAT GIVEN THE GREAT INTEREST BEING SHOWN IN THIS QUESTION OF LANGUAGE IN HONG KONG, WE WILL MAKE A UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOULTION, HE SAID.

MADAM XU ILL, NOT ARRIVING

****

MADAM XU HANDING, WIFE OF CHINA'S STATE COUNCILLOR AND DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE, MR JI PENGFEI, WILL NOT BE ACCOMPANYING MR JI DURING HIS VISIT TO HONG KONG BECAUSE OF HEALTH REASONS.

MADAM XU'S VISITS TO THE PAK TIN SHELTERED WORKSHOP AND THE HENRY G. LEONG YAU MA TEI COMMUNITY CENTRE, SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY (DECEMBER 11), HAVE BEEN CANCELLED.

THE REST

Share This Page