XN000022-1974-07-31 — Page 11

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1974

550 VOCATIONAL COURSES TEACHERS IN NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR'

THE NUMBER OF FULL-TIME TEACHING STAFF WHO WILL BE ENGAGED ON VOCATIONAL COURSES IN THE COMING ACADEMIC YEAR, INCLUDING THE POLYTECHNIC, THE TECHNICAL TEACHERS' COLLEGE, THE MORRISON HILL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, THE KUUN TONG VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE AND A NUKSER OF OTHER CENTRES WILL BE AROUND 550, THE ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION CTECHNICAL), MR. DANIEL VATERS SAID TODAY.

THIS REPRESENTED A GROWTH OF SOMETHING LIKE 27 FOLD WHEN COMPARED TO ONLY ABOUT 20 FULL-TIME TEACHERS ENGAGED ON VOCATIONAL COURSES IN THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO.

+THIS RATE OF EXPANSION COMPARES WITH ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,+ MR. WATERS SAID.

HE ESTIMATED THAT BY 1978 THERE WOULD BE ABOUT 1,120 TEACHERS FOR VOCATIONAL COURSES.

MR. WATERS WAS SPEAKING AT THE KWUN TONG VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE GRADUATION CEREMONY.

THE GOVERNMENT, MR. WATERS EMPHASISED, HAD TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP AND DRIVE BY SETTING UP A TECHNICAL BRANCH WITHIN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WITH AN ESTABLISHMENT OF 14 PROFESSIONAL OFFICERS AND SUPPORTING STAFF. FURTHER EXPANSION COULD BE EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEAR FUTURE.

+THIS IS A FAR CRY FROM 1967 WHEN THE FIRST TECHNICALLY QUALIFIED OFFICER WAS SECONDED TO THE EDUCATION HEADQUARTERS FROM THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE,+ HE SAID.

REFERRING TO THE RAPID EXPANSION OF INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG. MR. WATERS POINTED OUT THAT INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION COULD NOT HAVE TAKEN PLACE IF THERE HAD NOT BEEN, AT THE SAME TIME, SOME SOUND TECHNICAL EDUCATION UNDERTAKEN, IN THE MAIN,

AT THE OLD TECHNICAL COLLEGE, TO COMPLEMENT THE TRAINING BEING DONE ON-THE-JOB IN INDUSTRY.+

DURING THIS FINANCIAL YEAR 15 TEACHERS OF TECHNICAL SUBJECTS WERE EXPECTED TO BE SENT ON COURSES OR FOR PERIODS OF ATTACHMENTS OVERSEAS, HE SAID.

FROM 1961 TO 1973 A TOTAL OF 51 TECHNICAL TEACHERS WERE SENT OVERSEAS FOR TECHNICAL TRAINING OR FOR ATTACHMENTS. STAFF WERE ALSO ATTACHED TO INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG FOR ON-THE-JOB TRAINING.

+WE ARE ENGAGING 24 NEW, FULL-TIME TECHNICAL TEACHING STAFF THIS SEPTEMBER AND GIVING THEM ONE YEAR OF FULL-TIME IN-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING. THEY WILL THEN TAKE UP POSTS IN THE TWO NEW TECHNICAL INSTITUTES IN SEPTEMBER 1975.

+FROM THESE EXAMPLES YOU CAN SEE THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING SOMETHING POSITIVE TO OVERCOME STAFFING DIFFICULTIES,+ THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR SAID.

/HE DISCLOSED