XN000022-1974-03-13 — Page 12

11.

Wednesday, March 13, 1974

"MORE SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES NEEDED NOW" MR. W. WANG

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The government was today urged to take immediate steps to provide

sufficient secondary education school places for primary school leavers

this year.

According to the Hon. Wilson Wang, some 30,000 pupils will not

be able to continue their education after the Secondary School Entrance

Examinations results are published, "a very frightening figure incced. 1:

To this must be added the number of children who dropped out of

primary school altogether and it could be assumed that there were at least

30,000 of them, he said, sounding a warning that "time is running short

if improvement is to be made to reduce the hardship of our primary school

leavers this summer."

In view of the importance he attached to education, Mr. Wang

devoted his entire speech in the Budget debate to this subject.

A study of the situation, he said, showed that the present

provision or education is inadequate and government assistance unrealistic.

Referring to the interim terger set by the Education Green Paper

for the provision of aided places to 80 per cent of children between the

ages of 12 and 14 by 1981, Mr. Wang said this will not offer a satisfactory

solution.

An ad hoc group of the unofficial members of the Legislative Council.

was formed after the publication of the Green Paper and a report of its

findings had gained the unanimous support of all unofficial members, he sai

And in order to create 20.000 to 30,000 more places to make good

for the coming academic year, two conditions must be accepted,

First, he