XN000022-1974-10-16 — Page 90

Wednesday, October 16, 1974

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for which the white paper has opted, is flotation coupled with

an extended day. It is realised that this is not an ideal

solution, and must in consequence only be a transitional one,

but I believe it to be a realistic compromise between the

over-riding requirement for immediate speed, and the eventual

ideal solution of uni-sessional secondary education.

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As in the case of the Public Works and Housing

Programmes, and the 10 year Programme for Medical and

Health Services, each step that must be taken year by year

has been mapped out and costed so that the implications for

the whole programme of the financial decisions that must

be taken each year can be clearly seen. The figures are large

and only in this way can flexibility be considered, if the

need arises, on a proper and rational basis.

Later in this debate the Director of Education will

be expanding on the policy set out in the white paper. There

are one or two points about it I would like to make

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myself. The first is about the decision to drop the recommendation

in the green paper to make 1/5th of junior secondary schools prevocational and instead to make 20-25% of the curriculum of

all junior secondary schools practical/technical. I know

how passionately some maintain the value of prevocational

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Certainly the Government will continue

junior secondary schools. Certainly

to assist all those already in existence.

But it was

/considered

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