Wednesday, November 14, 1973
TO REDUCE DROP-OUTS FROM SCHOOL
Problems Must Be Attacked At The Root
The Hon. Wilson T.S. Wang today proposed that efforts be made
to either out down speedily the number of children who dropped out of
school before reaching the age of 14, or to take special care of them.
He told the Legislative Council that unless this was done, it
would be wishful thinking to combat crime merely by inflicting heavy
sentences on them, the effect of which would merely be similar to "outting
off a hydra's head."
Mr. Wang began his speech with the typical story of a primary
school drop-out who later became a member of a street gang.
At the end of his story, Mr. Wang said: "Now he (the school
drop-out) was frightened and at the crossroads. While he was at the
moment of self-searching, he would probably ask himself: 'Who and What
has put me in such a hopeless situation?'
"But how many people would give an honest answer to this question?
As a matter of fact, instead of pondering over the question, we had better
admit candidly that at present there are many, many children who are facing
the same fate," Mr. Wang said,
He pointed out that the recently published report on the causes
of crime revealed that the increase in crime rate in the 14- 30 age group
was the heaviest between 1968 and 1972. Among these offenders, 83 per
cent had never received secondary education.
/"Undeniably
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