XN000022-1974-10-16 — Page 91

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Wednesday, October 16, 1974

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considered wrong in principle that a general educational

system should be based on a separation of children at the

early age of 11 or 12 years into those who would receive

prevocational and those who would receive grammar school secondary education. The White Paper's view is that all children

will benefit equally up to the age of 14 from elements of both

grammar school and technical/practical training, and that

eventual separation of the two streams should be left as late

as possible, so as to give children as long a time as possible

in which to show in which direction their natural ability lies.

We are all very conscious of the need to improve technical

aptitude, but we believe that this is likely to be more se@urely

built on the basis of a general education, including of course

a technical element, up to the age of 14.

Thereafter there will be ample means of implanting and

extending technical education. The proposal is that eventually

40% of Senior Secondary places will be in technical forms. For those who do not reach senior secondary schools, there will be apprenticeship schemes coupled with the services of the five

technical institutes, and for the most talented students, the

polytechnic.

·

With the provision of secondary places for all primary

school leavers, the need for the Secondary School Entrance

Examination will disappear, and if the programme outlined in

the White Paper can be adhered to this examination will be set

for the last term in May, 1978.

/Ultimately......

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