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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1993
GOVERNOR:
I DON'T THINK THAT WE NEED A FUNDAMENTAL REVIEW OF OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, BUT I DO AGREE WITH YOU THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF OUR EDUCATION AND NOT JUST THE QUANTITY. SO, TO TAKE A PARTICULAR EXAMPLE, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE MORE TEACHERS SO WE CAN BRING DOWN CLASS SIZES BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR US TO RAISE THE STANDARDS OF THE TEACHING PROFESSION WHICH IS WHY I ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE - WE ARE GOING TO SPEND MORE MONEY ON MORE GRADUATE TEACHERS. BUT WHAT WE'VE ALSO GOT TO REMEMBER IS THAT EDUCATION ISN'T JUST ABOUT CRAMMING FOR EXAMS. WE'VE GOT TO REMEMBER THOSE STUDENTS WHO AREN'T PARTICULARLY GOOD AT EXAMS BUT STILL NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GIVE THEM. SO WE ARE GIVING ALL THOSE SCHOOLS THERE ARE WELL OVER NINETY OF THEM WHICH LOOK AFTER THE NEEDS OF BAND FIVE STUDENTS - EXTRA TEACHERS AND EXTRA HELP. THERE IS ONE OTHER POINT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD. OF COURSE WE HAVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS HERE IN HONG KONG. THERE ARE SOME DRUG PROBLEMS, THERE IS CRIME BUT LESS THAN IN MOST SIMILAR CITIES. AND THERE IS CRIME BY YOUNG PEOPLE BUT AGAIN, NOT AS MUCH AS INCOMPARABLE COMMUNITIES. THE REASON I BELIEVE WHY WE HAVE FEWER PROBLEMS THAN MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES AND IT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO HOLD ON TO
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BUT
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IS BECAUSE WE IN HONG KONG HAVE A STRONGER FAMILY STRUCTURE THAN MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES. SO WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN IN OUR WELFARE AND OUR OTHER POLICIES TO GO ON SUPPORTING THE FAMILY.
QUESTION
(THROUGH INTERPRETER) MR PATTEN, YOU ARE THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, DO YOU KNOW WE HAVE A VERY FAMOUS JUDGE IN ANCIENT CHINA WHO'S NAME IS MR BAO? WHEN YOU RECEIVE ALL THESE MANY MANY PETITIONS FROM THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, HAVE YOU GIVEN THEM ANY CONCLUSION IN A FAIR AND JUST MANNER? IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH YOU WROTE 'BEHIND THE FIGURES ARE STILL TOO MANY CRIMES, TOO MANY LIVES RISKED, TOO MANY INNOCENT VICTIMS. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THIS?
YOU STILL HAVE FOUR MORE YEARS TO GO IN HONG KONG. WHAT ARE THOSE PROBLEMS OF HONG KONG THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SOLVE FOR THEM? WITHIN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, THAT IS THE CIVIL SERVICE, AND THE LAW ENFORCING AGENTS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THEIR EFFICIENCY, AND THEIR MORALE AND THEIR CORRUPTION PROBLEM?
MY LAST QUESTION TO YOU IS MR PATTEN, YOU ARE THE HUSBAND OF YOUR WIFE, YOU ARE THE FATHER OF YOUR DAUGHTER, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS?
WHO
IN
GOVERNOR:
I DON'T JUST HAVE ONE DAUGHTER. I HAVE THREE DAUGHTERS. SO, I HAVE FOUR PEOPLE, IN ADDITION TO YOU, WHO TELL ME I MUST DO MORE FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS. IT'S AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ISSUE IN EVERY COMMUNITY. A VERY FAMOUS FIGURE OF THIS CENTURY WHO LIVED NOT FAR FROM HERE USED TO TALK ABOUT THOSE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY HELD UP HALF THE SKY. HE MEANT OF COURSE WOMEN, BUT WOMEN HAVEN'T, HISTORY, HAD THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES AS MEN. IT CAN START RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING OF LIFE, IT CAN START AT SCHOOL WHERE GIRLS HAVEN'T ALWAYS HAD THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES TO GET ON AS BOYS: AND IT PARTICULARLY AFFECTS EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. WE PUBLISHED A GREEN PAPER, A DISCUSSION PAPER IN AUGUST ON THE ISSUE OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS. AND WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED A LARGE NUMBER OF RESPONSES TO THAT. WE'LL BE ANSWERING ALL THOSE RESPONSES FARLY NEXT YEAR AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS WE WILL HAVE TO COME TO IS WHETHER HONG KONG SHOULD JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT THAT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN. IT'S WHAT I THINK MOST OF THE GROUPS IN HONG KONG WANT US TO DO.
BANS WOMEN'S
/YOU ASKED