WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1989
16
EDUCATION TARGETS TO BE UPGRADED
THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSES TO UPGRADE SUBSTANTIALLY THE EDUCATION TARGETS SET ONLY LAST YEAR, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY), POINTING TO FACTORS SUCH AS RISING EXPECTATIONS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
TODAY IS THAT THEIR
"THE AMBITION OF ORDINARY FAMILIES CHILDREN SHOULD DO WELL ENOUGH IN EXAMINATIONS TO BE ABLE TO GO ON SOME KIND OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION.
TO
MEANS THAT
ECONOMY "AT THE SAME TIME. THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR WE NEED AN INCREASING NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE TRAINED BEYOND SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL.
"IT IS CLEAR THAT WE ARE NOT AT PRESENT ABLE TO MEET THE FULL
GO EXTENT OF THIS DEMAND, AS MANY HONG KONG STUDENTS NOW
ABROAD FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION AS STAY IN HONG KONG," THE GOVERNOR SAID.
ANOTHER FACTOR WAS EMIGRATION, HE NOTED.
"WE MUST NOW PLAN ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE WILL LOSE A PROPORTION OF OUR FUTURE GRADUATES ABROAD, HE SAID.
IT
THAT THE TARGETS SET LAST YEAR WOULD HAVE MEANT
IN THE YEAR 1995, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WOULD BE FIRST-YEAR, FIRST-DEGREE PLACES FOR NEARLY 13 PER CENT OF THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP, COMPARED WITH ABOUT SEVEN PER CENT NOW.
ALTHOUGH THIS WAS AN AMBITIOUS TARGET, SIR DAVID SAID, NOW CLEAR THAT WE MUST BE EVEN MORE AMBITIOUS.
IT WAS
"I HAVE ASKED THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE (UPGC) TO INCREASE THE PLANNED PROVISION OF FIRST-YEAR, FIRST-DEGREE PLACES FROM ABOUT 7,000 NEXT YEAR TO ABOUT 15,000 IN 1995.
GROUP.
"THAT MEANS PLACES FOR OVER 18 PER CENT OF THE RELEVANT AGE
"THIS WILL NOT BE AT THE EXPENSE OF SUB-DEGREE PLACES. THESE WILL BE MAINTAINED AT THE
PLANNING LEVEL OF
DAVID SAID.
PREVIOUS
5,000,"
SIR
THE INCREASE WOULD GIVE A TOTAL OF 67,000 TERTIARY PLACES IN
CENT 1995, PROVIDING PLACES FOR NEARLY 25 PER
OF THE RELEVANT AGE GROUP, COMPARED WITH UNDER 14 PER CENT NOW, HE SAID.
NEW
SIR DAVID SAID THE UPGC WAS NOW WORKING OUT HOW TO MEET THESE TARGETS, AND ADDED THAT PLANS FOR EXPANDING THE EXISTING
PROBABLY UNIVERSITIES WOULD
HAVE TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD AND THE PERCENTAGE OF DEGREE PLACES OFFERED AT THE POLYTECHNICS BE INCREASED.
BEEN A GREAT OF MASS
HAD AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL. SIR DAVID NOTED THERE
IN THE DEAL OF CONCERN
COMMUNITY THAT THE INTRODUCTION EDUCATION HAD BEEN AT THE EXPENSE OF STANDARDS.
/"THERE IS