FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1986
2
CS: ROLE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE MUST CONTINUE
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THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH, THE PREDOMINANT LANGUAGE OF THE COMMERCIAL WORLD, OF INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AND OF FINANCE, MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO DIMINISH, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE SPEECH DAY MARKING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF KING GEORGE FIFTH SCHOOL (KGV), SIR DAVID SAID RECENTLY MEASURES HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED TO STRENGTHEN THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH, BUT THIS SHOULD BE SEEN AS ONLY A BEGINNING, AS A CONTINUING EFFORT WOULD BE NEEDED IN WHICH WE COULD ALL PLAY A PART.
HE POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG WAS A COSMOPOLITAN SOCIETY, A CAPITAL CITY OF ASIA AND ITS EDUCATION SYSTEM, ITS SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES MUST SERVE THIS INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER.
THE ENGLISH SCHOOLS, OF WHICH KGV WAS ONE, PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE. OTHER SCHOOLS, TOO, PROVIDING EDUCATION FOR AMERICAN, JAPANESE, FRENCH, GERMAN AND SWISS CHILDREN, EACH USING THEIR OWN LANGUAGE AS THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION AND WITH A DISTINCT CURRICULUM OF THEIR OWN, BROUGHT A HEALTHY DIVERSITY.
THEY GAVE HONG KONG A SPECIAL STRENGTH, ENCOURAGED TOLERATION AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG ITS MANY RACES AND PRODUCED A CREATIVE FUSION OF IDEAS, HE SAID.
HE ADDED THAT THE PRIMARY ROLE OF KGV WOULD CONTINUE TO BE TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING COMMUNITY BUT IT HAD AN IMPORTANT SECONDARY ROLE IN PROVIDING A LIBERAL EDUCATION IN THE MEDIUM OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO A MUCH GREATER RANGE OF STUDENTS.
SIR DAVID ALSO NOTED THAT THE FUTURE OF KGV AND SCHOOLS LIKE IT IN THE YEARS AFTER 1997 WAS ASSURED BY WHAT HAD BEEN AGREED BETWEEN THE PRIME MINISTERS OF GREAT BRITAIN AND CHINA.
HE CONGRATUATED KGV FOR ITS PAST ACHIEVEMENTS AND WISHED IT MIGHT GO FORWARD INTO ITS NEXT 50 YEARS WITH CONFIDENCE.
SIR DAVID SAID THAT LOOKING AT THE LANDSCAPE OF HONG KONG IN 1986 IT WAS DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS ONLY IN 1971 THAT ALL CHILDREN HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO SCHOOL AND ONLY IN 1978 THAT ALL OF THEM HAD A CHANCE TO GO TO SECONDARY SCHOOL.
HE SAID IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE THAT HONG KONG COULD HAVE MADE SUCH GIANT STRIDES IN SUCH A SHORT TIME: TO HAVE MADE HONG KONG WITH ITS TINY CROWDED POPULATION ONE OF THE FOREMOST AMONG THE TRADING NATIONS OF THE WORLD, THIRD IN CONTAINER TRAFFIC AND THIRD AS A FINANCIAL CENTRE AND, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCER OF WATCHES, TOYS AND GARMENTS.
/+I THINK