XN000022-1972-11-01 — Page 18

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Wednesday, November 1, 1972

Speaking on primary education, Mr. Wang said the present

bisessional system was here to stay.

He suggested that it might be wiser to "concentrate all our

efforts on exploring ways of improving and supplementing the functions

of existing schools," such as more practical training and extra-curricular

activities.

"Greater effort and encouragement by way of financial assistance

plus the provision of staff would go a long way to help each school to

attain its goal," he said.

Referring to the secondary school entrance examination Mr. Wang

said: "The sooner we can do away with it, the sooner we shall be able to

improve primary education to a really significant extent and make life easier

for all the parents, the pupils and the teachers.

**This alone underlines. the need to provide sufficient places in

post-primary schools for all our primary school leavers."

Mr. Wang said that 184,000 places in Forms 1 to 3 are needed, in

addition to those now available, and more places in the upper forms and other

education institutions are also urgently needed. .

There was no alternative but to extend the bisessional system to

secondary schools and to technical and pre-vocational training.

"It would not be in line with social justice," he said, "for half

of these children to be kept out of school merely for the reason that it

would be better for the other half to have full day sessions. 1

/Mr. Wang