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TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1986
NOTING THAT LANGUAGE WAS A VEHICLE FOR COMMUNICATION AND ITS FUNCTION IN TEACHING WAS CONSIDERABLE, PROF POON SAID IN THE PROCESS OF TEACHING, CHINESE FARED BEST IN EXPRESSING ONE'S IDEAS, STIMULATING ONE'S THINKING AND DEVELOPING ONE'S INTELLECT.
HE SAID THE REPORT BY THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) EXPERTS IN 1982 CONFIRMED THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE IN TEACHING.
+THE REPORT THUS AGREED THAT CHINESE BE USED AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN KINDERGARTENS AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS. THE REPORT FURTHER SUGGESTED THAT BILINGUAL TEACHING BE ADOPTED GRADUALLY FROM JUNIOR SECONDARY LEVEL ONWARD TO COPE WITH THE ACTUAL DEMAND.+
THE EDUCATION COMMISSION WAS SET UP IN 1984 TO LOOK INTO THE ISSUE OF THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, AND IT RECOMMENDED THAT LANGUAGE RESEARCH PROJECTS BE CONDUCTED JOINTLY BY THE EDUCATION RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE TWO UNIVERSITIES.
+AS THE FINDINGS OF THE PROJECT WERE POSITIVE, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CONSEQUENTLY FORMULATED A SET OF GUIDLINES TO BE IMPLEMENTED FROM SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR (1986), THEREBY RESOLVING MUCH OF THE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE OF THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION, + HE ADDED.
TO AVOID A FALL IN THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH, HE SAID HE WAS PLEASED TO LEARN THAT ADDITIONAL TEACHERS OF ENGLISH AND RESOURCES WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR SCHOOLS WHICH USE CHINESE AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN SEPTEMBER 1988 IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH TO AVERT ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DROP IN THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH DUE TO REDUCED EXPOSURE AS RECOMMENDED BY THE EDUCATION COMMISSION BASED ON THE VIEW OF THE OECD EXPERTS.
WITH THE SUPPLIES OF ADDITIONAL ENGLISH TEACHERS AND RESOURCES TO SCHOOLS, PROF POON SAID STUDENTS' FOUNDATION OF ENGLISH COULD BE CONSOLIDATED AND, REINFORCED WITH LONG-TERM TRAINING, THEIR STANDARD OF ENGLISH RAISED.
HOWEVER, HE SAID HE FELT THAT THE TIME ALLOCATED TO THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AT SECONDARY LEVEL REMAINED INADEQUATE, AS STIPULATED YEARS AGO.
HE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WOULD CONSIDER INCREASING THE TIME ALLOCATED TO ENGLISH TEACHING SO THAT THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH COULD BE RAISED.
EARLIER, THE PRINCIPAL OF THE GRANTHAM COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, MR W.K. PUN, SAID FOR THE FIRST TIME THE HONG KONG TECHNICAL TEACHERS' COLLEGE HELD ITS GRADUATION CEREMONY WITH THAT OF THE OTHER THREE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION.
/+THE HONG