THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 1986
DETERMINATION TO PRESS AHEAD IN EDUCATION
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CS
THERE IS A DETERMINATION TO PRESS AHEAD IN EDUCATION, IN COMMON WITH THE THRUST OF OTHER GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE FOUNDATION STONE-LAYING CEREMONY OF THE HO TIM BUILDING AT CHINESE UNIVERSITY, SIR DAVID SAID IN HIGHER EDUCATION, A TARGET HAD BEEN SET TO PROVIDE FIRST YEAR DEGREE PLACES FOR ABOUT EIGHT PER CENT OF ELIGIBLE YOUNG PEOPLE BY THE MIDDLE OF THE 1990'S.
AT THE PRESENT RATE OF GROWTH, HE SAID, THE NUMBER OF FIRST YEAR FIPST DEGREE PLACES AT THE END OF THIS DECADE WOULD ALMOST DOUBLE THE PRESENT NUMBER OF 3 700.
+BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH AND A DECISION HAS BEEN MADE TO BUILD A THIRD UNIVERSITY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON TECHNOLOGICAL TRAINING TO PROVIDE AN ESSENTIAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION TO KEEP HONG KONG ABREAST OF ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,+ SIR DAVID SAID.
THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY, HE SAID, HAD PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE PROVISION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN HONG KONG.
SIR DAVID SAID THE UNIVERSITY WAS MADE UP OF MANY PARTS AND IT DREW ITS STRENGTH FROM THE COLLEGIATE SYSTEM, ITS TOTAL STRENGTH EEING GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.
HE SAID THERE WAS UNITY IN DIVERSITY: THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY WAS IN ALL SENSES A UNIVERSITY AND GRADUALLY WITH THE ADDITION OF EACH NEW FACILITY THE UNIVERSITY GREW IN STATURE.
IN THE LAST TWO DECADES, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS HAD INCREASED FROM 2 000 IN THE MID-60'S TO SOME 7 000 TODAY.
+DURING THESE YEARS YOU HAVE ADDED THE NEW MEDICAL FACULTY AND PLANS ARE UNDERWAY TO EXPAND ENGINEERING STUDIES AND TO ESTABLISH A FOURTH COLLEGE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, HE SAID.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HO TIM BUILDING, HE SAID, WAS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSITY.
NOTING THAT HONG KONG HAD NO NATURAL RESOURCES, SIR DAVID SAIJ ITS STRENGTH LAY IN THE QUALITY OF ITS PEOPLE.
+ IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE TAUGHT BY TEACHERS WHO ARE NOT ONLY PROFESSIONALLY COMPETENT BUT WHO ARE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHING PROFESSION,+ HE SAID.
/THE HO