XN000022-1974-11-23 — Page 4

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POSITIVE START TO BETTER PLANNING

FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION

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THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS, MR. PETER R. HALLIWELL, SAID TODAY THE MAJORITY OF THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS HAD BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE RECOMMENDATION THAT ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS SHOULD HAVE PRACTICAL COURSES HAD BEEN EMBODIED IN THE WHITE PAPER ON +SECONDARY EDUCATION IN HONG KONG DURING THE NEXT DECADE.+

HE SAID: +ALTHOUGH SOME DIFFICULTIES HAD BEEN ENCOUNTERED BECAUSE OF FINANCE, SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE AND 'I LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS WITH CONFIDENCE.

MR. HALLIWELL FELT THAT THE TECHNICAL BRANCH OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD MADE A POSITIVE START TO BETTER PLANNING FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN THE FUTURE.

+A NEW POLICY HAS BEEN DEVISED BY THE TECHNICAL BRANCH FOR COMMERCIAL EDUCATION BASED ON OUR RECOMMENDATIONS,+ HE SAID. COMMENTING ON A RECENT ARTICLE IN AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER WHICH DESCRIBED CONDITIONS AS +APPALLING+ AND HEADLINED: +TECHNICAL SCHOOLS UNDER FIRE,+ MR. HALLIWELL SAID THAT ONE OF THE MORE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS TO IMPROVE TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN HONG KONG WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TECHNICAL TEACHERS COLLEGE.

THIS WILL ENABLE THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO RE-TRAIN TECHNICAL TEACHERS IN NEW METHODS AND FOR THE NEW CURRICULUM. +THIS IS WHAT THE WHITE PAPER IS ALL ABOUT,+ SAID MR. HALLIWELL.

MR. HALLIWELL, HIMSELF THE PRINCIPAL OF KOWLOON TECHNICAL SCHOOL - THE LARGEST GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL SCHOOL - POINTED OUT THAT PLANS WERE UNDER WAY TO TRANSFORM WOODWORK AND METALWORK AND INCORPORATE THEM INTO THE NEW THREE-DIMENSIONAL SYLLABUSES NOW BEING PREPARED. THIS WILL LEAD TO DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY AT HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION LEVEL.

WITH REGARD TO EXISTING GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL SCHOOL BUILDINGS MR. HALLIWELL STATED THAT THOUGH SOME OF THE OLDER ONES WERE NOT UP TO STANDARD, THIS WOULD BE REMEDIED IN NEW BUILDINGS.

+TECHNICAL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ARE WELL REPRESENTED IN THE NEW CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND THIS AUGURS WELL FOR THE FUTURE OF TECHNICAL SCHOOLS,+ HE SAID.

IN FACT MR. HALLIWELL EMPHASISED THAT THE BULK OF HIS COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS +HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED OR ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BEING IMPLEMENTED.+

HE CONCLUDED: +MY COMMITTEE'S WORK HAS PRODUCED A LOT OF ACTION AND I KNOW I HAVE GOT THE BACKING OF MY COLLEAGUES.+

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