XN000022-1973-04-10 — Page 5

Tuesday, April 10, 1973

BOARD OF EDUCATION TO DISCUSS JOINT

SECRETARIAT PROPOSALS

Commenting further on the statement issued by the Joint Secretariat

of Thirteen Educational Bodies on Saturday, a Government spokesman said today:

Education is one of the Government's top priorities. This was

made very clear by the Governor in his speech at the opening session of the

Legislative Council last October.

His Excellency said that the Government planned "free primary

education for all, followed by secondary education for all to the age of 14;

the latter to include an expanded pre-vocational or technical stream."

"At that point", he added, "there will be on the one hand greatly

expanded facilities for further secondary education leading to the Certificate

of Education; on the other, young people will be able to choose between

going into industry, or acquiring a qualification in a technical institute.'

In his budget speech in March, the Financial Secretary emphasised

this priority by saying that "expenditure on education does and will continue

increasingly to dominate expenditure", pointing out that it now absorbed

19 per cent of total expenditure compared with 14 per cent ten years ago.

The Joint Secretariat's concern with these issues has much in common

with that of the Government, and the recommendations which appear in their

statement warrant serious consideration.

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