THURSDAY, JULY 6, 1989
HE SAID THAT LIKE 1TS SISTER COLLEGES, NORTHCOTE HAD BEEN TASKED WITH ENSURING THAT ITS STUDENTS ACQUIRED NOT ONLY UP-TO-DATE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TO TEACH PARTICULAR SCHOOL SUBJECTS, BUT ALSO TO EQUIP THEM WITH SUPPORTING SKILLS.
SCHOOLS, POSITIVE
THESE SUPPORTING SKILLS WOULD ALLOW THEM то PERFORM EFFECTIVELY IN THE SOCIAL AND CORPORATE LIFE OF THEIR INTERACT WITH STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM, AND ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE WORK OF THE COLLEGE, SIR DAVID SAID: "VERY FEW EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN HONG KONG CAN CLAIM SUCH A LONG AND DISTINGUISHED HISTORY OF EDUCATION AS THE NORTHCOTE COLLEGE. FROM AN INSTITUTION WITH A VERY MODEST ENROLMENT OF 48 THE COLLEGE NOW TRAINS MORE THAN 1.400 STUDENTS.
STUDENTS IN 1939,
"THE GROWTH IN NUMBERS IS PHENOMENAL; WHAT
IS MORE IMPORTANT IS THE PROGRESS MADE IN PROVIDING QUALITY OF THE TRAINING FOR OUR TEACHERS, IN STEP WITH HONG KONG'S PROGRESS.
M
SIR DAVID ALSO REFERRED TO THE IMPROVEMENTS MADE IN TEACHER EDUCATION AT THE COLLEGE. SAYING: "YOU HAVE EXTENDED THE DURATION OF INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION COURSES FOR CERTIFICATE-LEVEL ENTRANTS FROM TWO TO THREE YEARS. YOU HAVE DEVELOPED A NEW TWO-YEAR COURSE FOR ENTRANTS WITH A-LEVEL REQUIREMENTS.
"YOU HAVE BROADENED THE SCOPE OF ALL COURSES TO ENCOMPASS A MUCH WIDER SPECTRUM, FROM CIVIC AND MORAL EDUCATION TO SEX EDUCATION AND A WHOLE RANGE OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.
"YOU HAVE ALSO ADDED A NEW COURSE. SINCE 1983, то PROVIDE SYSTEMATIC RETRAINING FOR SERVING NON-GRADUATE AND GRADUATE SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS,"
ALL THESE STEPS HAD HELPED ΤΟ IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF NEW TEACHERS AND TO KEEP IN-SERVICE TEACHERS ABREAST OF CONTEMPORARY METHODS IN EDUCATION AND IN CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT.
IN CONCLUSION, SIR DAVID SAID: "A GOLDEN JUBILEE IS NOT ONLY A TIME TO REJOICE, BUT ALSO A TIME TO LOOK то EVEN GREATER ACHIEVEMENTS AHEAD. I CONGRATULATE MOST WARMLY THE PAST AND PRESENT STAFF AND THE STUDENTS OF NORTHCOTE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION ON THIS AUSPICIOUS OCCASION AND I WISH YOU ALL CONTINUED SUCCESS IN THE YEARS TO COME.
ALSO ADDRESSING THE GATHERING, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR Y.T. LI, GAVE A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE HISTORY OF NORTHCOTE COLLEGE.
MR LI RECALLED THAT THE COLLEGE WAS FOUNDED IN 1939 AS THE FIRST FULL-TIME TEACHER TRAINING INSTITUTION IN HONG KONG. IT HAD VERY HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND WAS OPENED IN TEMPORARY PREMISES IN HOSPITAL ROAD WITH ONLY THREE LECTURERS AND 24 STUDENTS IN EACH OF THE ENGLISH AND CHINESE SECTIONS.
THE COLLEGE