XN000022-1975-06-27 — Page 11

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FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1975

SECONDARY SCHOOLS URGED TO PARTICIPATE IN NEW CURRICULUM

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THE NEW CURRICULUM FOR JUNIOR SECONDARY FORMS WILL BE INTRODUCED THIS SEPTEMBER ON A TRIAL BASIS SO THAT IT CAN BE THOROUGHLY TESTED, EVALUATED AND MODIFIED IN THE LIGHT OF CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT REITERATED TODAY.

+SCHOOL PARTICIPATION IN THE TRY-OUT IS ENTIRELY VOLUNTARY THOUGH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS ENCOURAGING AS MANY SCHOOLS AS POSSIBLE TO TRY OUT AT LEAST ONE SUBJECT, HE STRESSED.

THE SPOKESMAN WAS CLARIFYING A NUMBER OF POINTS RAISED BY THE HONG KONG TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION PUBLISHED EARLIER THIS WEEK IN SOME NEWSPAPERS.

THE ASSOCIATION HAS ASKED THE DEPARTMENT TO DELAY THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW CURRICULUM ON THE GROUNDS THAT TEACHERS HAD NOT HAD TIME TO STUDY THE PRELIMINARY GUIDE AND WERE NOT YET TRAINED IN PRESENTING NEW APPROACHES IMPLICIT IN THE CURRICULUM, THAT SCHOOLS HAD INSUFFICIENT FACILITIES, AND THAT THERE WERE INSUFFICIENT TEXTBOOKS APPROPRIATE TO THE NEW COURSES.

THE ASSOCIATION ALSO CALLED FOR THE ABOLITION OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE. IN ADDITION TO LACK OF WORKSHOPS AND FACILITIES, THE SUBJECT WAS IRRELEVANT TO THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS' OTHER THAN THOSE INTENDING TO SERVE APPRENTICESHIPS IN WOODWORK OR METALWORK.

+THESE OBSERVATIONS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID, +APPEAR TO INDICATE

SOME MISUNDERSTANDING.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

FOR YOUR INFORMATION, SOME OF THE POINTS IN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S REPLY TO THE ASSOCIATION WHICH MAY BE OF GENERAL INTEREST ARE GIVEN BELOW :-

* THE TRY-OUT PATTERN IN THE PRELIMINARY GUIDE TO SCHOOLS IS A NORMAL APPROACH TO CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND MOST COUNTRIES CONSIDER THE TRIAL STAGE TO BE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. COPIES OF THE PRELIMINARY GUIDE GIVING FULL DETAILS OF THE TRIAL PROCESS HAD BEEN ISSUED TO ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE.

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