XN000022-1975-04-28 — Page 7

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MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1975

HONG KONG NEEDS WORKERS EQUIPPED WITH HIGHER AND NEW SKILLS ******

HONG KONG NEEDS TO TRAIN NOT ONLY GREATER NUMBERS OF SKILLED PERSONNEL IN ESTABLISHED FIELDS WITH HICHER SKILLS THAN BEFORE EUT ALSO TO EQUIP WORKERS WITH NEW SKILLS, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL), KR. ANDREV KINGUELL TOLD A MEETING OF THE NEW TERRITORIES ROTARY CLUB TODAY.

MR. KINGWELL SAID THAT HIS MAIN DIFFICULTY WAS IN CONVINCING THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT TECHNICAL EDUCATION SHOULD DE REGARDED AS KURE AND MORE RELEVANT IN A WORLD WHICH GAVE SO MANY OF ITS RESOURCES TO TECHNOLOGY IN THE DROAD SENSE.

+WE NEED A CHANGE OF PHILOSOPHY IF TECHNICAL EDUCATION IS TO DE REGARDED AS A FIRST CLASS FORM OF EDUCATION IN ITS OWN RIGHT

AN EDUCATION WHICH WILL SHARPEN AND MATURE THE WITS OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND EQUIP THEM WITH INTERESTS AND STANDARDS AS WELL AS SKILLS WITH WHICH TO SUSTAIN THEM IN A CONSTANTLY CHANGING SOCIETY AND ECONOMY.

+EDUCATION SHOULD ENDEAVOUR TO PROVIDE FOR EACH CHILD THE KIND OF EDUCATION THAT WILL ENABLE HIM TO ENJOY DEVELOPING HIS FULL POTENTIAL AND TO UNDERSTAND A SOCIETY INCREASINGLY INFLUENCED BY CHANGES IN TECHNOLOGY,+ THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR SAID.

SPEAKING ABOUT HIS GENERAL PHILOSOPHY ON THE INTRODUCTION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION INTO THE GENERAL EDUCATION SYSTEM, MR. KINGWELL POINTED OUT THAT AN EDUCATION FOR TODAY MUST INCLUDE THE ARTS, THE SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES SO INTEGRATED THAT THEY PROVIDE Á COMPLETE EDUCATION RELATED TO THE DEMANDS OF OUR MODERN SOCIETY.+

HE STRESSED THAT THE PLANS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN HONG KONG WOULD DE FRUSTRATED UNLESS PARENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE WERE PREPARED TO SUPPORT IT.

+IT IS MY DELIEF THAT THERE IS AN ELEMENT OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN ALL EDUCATION. AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL THIS TECHNICAL ELEMENT SHOULD FORM PART OF THE BASIC EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD IN THE SAME WAY THAT ALL CHILDREN ARE EXPECTED TO LEARN THE THREE R'S READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC,+ MR.

KINGWELL ADDED.

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THE CURRICULUM WITHIN SCHOOLS SHOULD PROVIDE AT ALL STAGES A FLEXIBLE FRAME WITHIN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL APTITUDES OF EACH CHILD WERE GRADUALLY DEVELOPED.

THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR SAID: +ANY DIVISION BETWEEN THE ACANFIC AND TECHNICAL SIMPLY WEAKENS THE CONTRIBUTION OF EDUCATION TO THE COMMUNITY IN ITS MOST VITAL RESOURCE NAMELY THE CREATIVE ABILITY IN ALL YOUNG PEOPLE.

/THIS CREATIVE