XN000022-1974-10-30 — Page 5

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1974

MAKE CONVICTS WORK FOR COMMUNITY, SAYS MR. WILSON WANG

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SERIOUS OFFENDERS SHOULD BE MADE TO REPAY THEIR DEBT TO SOCIETY BY PERFORMING PUBLIC SERVICES SUCH AS CLEANING THE STREETS AND HELPING TO DEVELOP DESERTED ISLANDS, THE HON. WILSON WANG SUGGESTED TODAY.

+IT IS ONLY FAIR AND JUST THAT THEY SHOULD DO PENANCE FOR THE DESTRUCTIONS THEY HAVE CAUSED TO SOCIETY AND THIS MAY ALSO HELP THEM TO ENHANCE THEIR SENSE OF CIVIC RESPONSIBILITIES, HE TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

MR. WANG REGARDED HARD LABOUR IN THE FORM OF COMMUNITY SERVICES AS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE PUNISHMENT AT THIS TIME, ESPECIALLY WITH EXISTING OVERCROWDED PRISON CONDITIONS,

AND SUGGESTED THAT IT SHOULD BE IMPOSED ON THE PHYSICALLY STRONG BUT MORALLY WEAK AND IRRESPONSIBLE OFFENDERS.

HE ALSO FELT THAT THE EFFORT TO FIGHT CRIME SHOULD CENTRE ON THE PROTECTION OF THE LOWER STRATA OF THE COMMUNITY WHO WERE THE WORST AFFECTED BY CORRUPTION, TRIAD ACTIVITIES, RACKETEERING AND DRUG TRAFFICKING.

TURNING TO EDUCATION, MR. WANG DESCRIBED THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE EDUCATION WHITE PAPER AS +IMAGINATIVE AND AMBITIOUS,+ AND SAID THEIR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION WOULD DEPEND HEAVILY ON THE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES.

HE SINGLED OUT ONE SPECIAL FIELD WHICH CALLED FOR MOST EFFORT AND CO-OPERATION AMONG ALL CONCERNED, THE WORKING OUT OF A SUITABLE FORMULA FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL LEAVERS INTO SECONDARY SCHOOLS AFTER THE ABOLITION OF THE $.S.E.E. TO ENSURE THAT NO SCHOOLS SHALL HAVE THE MONOPOLY OF TAKING IN THE ''ELITES' AND THE ''CREAM''.

FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION, MR. WANG POINTED OUT THE OBVIOUS NEED TO EXTEND EDUCATIONAL T.V. FOR THE JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FOURTH COLLEGE FOR TEACHERS TRAINING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

IN VIEW OF THE PROSPECT OF ACHIEVING THE TARGET SET BY THE WHITE PAPER, TOGETHER WITH THE EXISTING SURPLUS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PLACES, MR, WANG BELIEVED IT TIME TO MAKE TWO IMPROVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF PRIMARY EDUCATION.

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THE FIRST CONCERNED COMPULSORY EDUCATION AND IN THIS REGARD HE URGED THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO EXERT MORE EFFORT TO ENFORCE THE LAW REQUIRING EVERY CHILD OF THE PRIMARY SCHOOL AGE TO ATTEND SCHOOL, AND TO AIM AT THE SIX-YEAR COMPULSORY EDUCATION FOR ALL CHILDREN AS THEIR BIRTH-RIGHT. SECONDLY, HE PROPOSED THAT THE ADMISSION AGE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL SHOULD NOW BE LOWERED FROM SIX TO FIVE, AS WAS ALREADY THE CASE IN ALL ADVANCED COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, AND THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG.

/WITH THE PRESENT

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