XN000022-1974-11-27 — Page 14

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1974

TWO TECHNICAL INSTITUTES TO BEGIN CLASSES NEXT SEPTEMBER

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THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS DOING EVERYTHING IT CAN TO SEE THAT THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AT KWAI CHUNG, KWUN TONG, CHEUNG SHA WAN AND SAN PO KONG WILL OPEN THEIR DOORS ON DATES +AS NEAR AS POSSIBLE TO THOSE ORIGINALLY PLANNED.+

THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, THE HON. KENNETH TOPLEY, GAVE THIS ASSURANCE AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEETING TODAY, IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY DR. THE HON. CHUNG SZE-YUEN WHO ASKED FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRESS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FOUR TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.

DR. CHUNG ALSO ASKED WHETHER THE FOUR INSTITUTES WOULD BE IN OPERATION ON THE DATES AS PLANNED, THAT IS TWO IN 1975, ONE IN 1976 AND ONE IN 1977.

MR. TOPLEY SAID THE PROVISION OF THE FOUR TECHNICAL INSTITUTES WAS A VERY IMPORTANT AND INTEGRAL PART OF THE PROGRAMME FOR THE EXPANSION OF SECONDARY TECHNICAL SCHOOLING FOLLOWING THE PROPOSALS OF THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED WHITE PAPER.

HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT BOTH THE KWAI CHUNG AND KWUN TONG TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, WHICH WERE IN AN ADVANCED STAGE TOWARDS COMPLETION, WOULD START OPERATING CLASSES IN SEPTEMBER 1975 AS PLANNED.

BOTH THESE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES WILL RUN COURSES IN MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, TEXTILES AND GARMENT MAKING. IN ADDITION THE KWUN TONG TECHNICAL INSTITUTE WILL ALSO OPERATE COURSES IN PRINTING AND THE KWAI CHUNG TECHNICAL INSTITUTE IN COMMERCE.

MR. TOPLEY SAID +FOR BOTH THESE INSTITUTES IT IS EXPECTED THAT EVENING COURSES WILL BE ADVERTISED IN APRIL 1975 AND FULL AND PART-TIME DAY COURSES IN JULY 1975.+

THE CHEUNG SHA WAN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, WHICH IS IN CATEGORY A OF THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME WITH PRIORITY A1, IS EXPECTED TO BE READY BY MID-1977 IF THE CONTRACT FOR THE PROJECT CAN BE SIGNED EARLY IN THE 1975/76 FINANCIAL YEAR AND WORK COMMENCE ON ITS CONSTRUCTION.

THE SAN PO KONG TECHNICAL INSTITUTE IS AT PRESENT IN CATEGORY B OF THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME WITH PRIORITY B2..

+IT COULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE LIST OF ITEMS RECOMMENDED FOR UPGRADING TO CATEGORY A AT THE LAST REVIEW BECAUSE OF ITS LARGE TOTAL ESTIMATED COST OF $36 MILLION, MR. TOPLEY SAID.

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/HE POINTED OUT