21
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1988
HE SAID THAT, FIRST AND FOREMOST, A COMMON ENTRY POINT APPLICABLE TO ALL TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS MUST BE ESTABLISHED.
"THE DIFFERENT ENTRY POINTS HAVE CAUSED SO MUCH PAIN AND AGONY TO SCHOOL TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND PARENTS. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE IS TREMENDOUS, LET ALONE ADMINISTRATIVE DIFFICULTIES, WASTAGE, AND CONFUSION, HE SAID.
rr
MR CHEUNG SAID HE THOUGHT THAT FIVE YEARS OF GENERAL EDUCATION FOR ALL SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.
+
FOR ENTRY TO TERTIARY EDUCATION, HOWEVER, TWO MORE TRAINING AFTER THE COMPLETION OF GENERAL EDUCATION WAS NECESSARY BUT VITAL.
YEARS OF NOT ONLY
HE ALSO THOUGHT THAT THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO BE USED TO SELECT STUDENTS FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION, AND THAT ALL PUBLICLY FUNDED TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS SHOULD COMPETE FOR STUDENTS ON THEIR OWN MERITS.
MR CHEUNG ALSO SPOKE IN DEFENCE OF THE TWO-YEAR MATRICULATION COURSE, SAYING THAT ITS "NARROWNESS" COULD NOT BE AVOIDED UNLESS THE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS PRESCRIBED OTHERWISE AND THE NUMBER OF TERTIARY PLACES INCREASED.
"THE COURSE IS ALSO A VERY MUCH NERDED QUALIFICATION FOR ENTRY TO PROFESSIONAL DISCIPLINES
SURVEYOR, ACCOUNTANCY, CHARTERED
ETC," HE ADDED.
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WITH GENERAL EDUCATION PROVISION REACHING 100 PER CENT SOON, SELECTION FOR ABOUT SIX PER CENT TO ENTER TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS MUST BE DONE AT THE END OF FORM 7 WHEN STUDENTS WERE MUCH BETTER PREPARED, MR CHEUNG SAID.
A COMMON ENTRY POINT SHOULD THEREFORE BE AT THE END OF FORM 7.
MR CHEUNG ALSO SAID THAT THE PROPOSAL TO CHANGE THE SECONDARY SYSTEM TO 3-3 TO SUIT A FOUR-YEAR TERTIARY PROGRAMME WOULD NOT REMOVE THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE TWO-YEAR SIXTH FORM AS LONG AS INTENSE COMPETITION FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION REMAINED.
THIS WAS BECAUSE, FIRST, IT WOULD REQUIRE STREAMING AT WHICH WOULD BE HIGHLY UNPOPULAR WITH PARENTS.
FORM 3
SECOND, THERE MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH NON-GRAMMAR STREAMS LEADING TO EQUAL PROSPECTS AS GRAMMAR STREAMS.
THIRD, EVEN IF THERE WERK ENOUGH TEACHERS WOULD BE REQUIRED
NON-GRAMMAR
STREAMS,
TO
TEACH
THESE NON-GRAMMAR
ENOUGH STREAMS
SUBJECTS.
/OTHER DIFFICULTIES