WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1992
"THIS WILL CONTINUE. BETWEEN NOW AND 1997, WE PLAN TO INCREASE RECURRENT SPENDING ON EDUCATION BY 15.8% IN REAL TERMS."
HE SAID THESE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES WOULD ENABLE THE GOVERNMENT ΤΟ CONTINUE THE PLANS FOR THE DRAMATIC EXPANSION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION WHICH WERE STARTED IN 1989 BY HIS DISTINGUISHED PREDECESSOR, LORD WILSON.
BUT THIS INCREASE IN QUANTITY AT THE TOP MUST BE MATCHED BY AN INCREASE IN QUALITY AT THE EARLIER LEVELS.
RAISING STANDARDS IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS MUST NOW BE THE TOP PRIORITY, HE SAID.
THE LAST TWO REPORTS OF THE EDUCATION COMMISSION PROVIDED CLEAR AND POSITIVE ADVICE ON HOW THIS COULD BE ACHIEVED.
MR PATTEN SAID THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT STEP MUST BE TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE HARD-PRESSED TEACHERS TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL CHILD.
"WE ALL KNOW THAT, WHATEVER ELSE THEY ARE, CHILDREN ARE FIRST AND FOREMOST INDIVIDUALS.
"THEY DO NOT ALL LEARN AT THE SAME SPEED. SOME ARE BETTER AT READING THAN AT MATHS. SOME ARE BETTER AT DAY-DREAMING THAN EITHER. SOME ARE BUDDING EINSTEINS FROM THEIR FIRST DAY IN THE CLASSROOM, HE SAID.
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平平
OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM MUST BRING OUT THE VERY BEST IN ALL OF THEM. TO DO THAT, TEACHERS
RESOURCES WITH BETTER TRAINING AND MORE MUST HAVE THE TIME TO SPUR ON THE ABLE AND TO ENCOURAGE THE LESS ABLE.
"THE BRIGHTEST CHILDREN MUST BE FREE TO EXCEL; THE LESS BRIGHT MUST BE GIVEN EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND SUPPORT,' HE SAID.
RECOGNISE
QUALITY, MR PATTEN SAID WE MUST
THAT TOO OFTEN, HAD TO TEACH TOO MANY PERIODS AND TOO MANY
ON CLASSROOM
TEACHERS,
PUPILS.
TO HELP TEACHERS RAISE STANDARDS:
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"FIRST, WE SHALL PROVIDE MORE TEACHERS FOR ALL STANDARD-SIZE SCHOOLS
UP TO THREE MORE IN EACH PRIMARY SCHOOL, ONE A YEAR FROM SEPTEMBER 1993; AND UP TO TWO MORE IN EACH SECONDARY SCHOOL, ONE A YEAR FROM 1994;
"SECONDLY, WE SHALL REDUCE THE SIZE OF SCHOOL CLASSES TO 35 PUPILS EACH, STARTING IN SEPTEMBER 1993 WITH PRIMARY ONE, AND EXTENDING IT TO HIGHER LEVELS A YEAR AT A TIME;
"THIRDLY, WE SHALL ENSURE THAT, WHEREVER POSSIBLE, ALL NEW PRIMARY SCHOOLS OPERATE ON A WHOLE-DAY BASIS FROM SEPTEMBER 1993 IN ADDITION TO THE 39 EXISTING BISESSIONAL SCHOOLS WHICH ARE ALREADY DUE TO BECOME WHOLE-DAY OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
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