XN000022-1975-12-16 — Page 6

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1975

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AIM OF EDUCATION TO PRODUCE LEADERS ******

THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION IS TO ENABLE PUPILS TO BECOME FUTURE LEADERS OF HONG KONG AND NOT JUST TO FIND A JOB, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (ADMINISTRATION), MR. YEUNG KAI-YIN, SAID THIS AFTERNOON.

HE WAS SPEAKING AT THE JOINT ANNUAL SPEECH DAY OF THE BUDDHIST WONG FUNG LING COLLEGE AND THE BUDDHIST WONG CHEUK UM PRIMARY SCHOOL.

+NOWADAYS, THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM IS DESIGNED NOT ONLY TO IMPART MODERN KNOWLEDGE RELEVANT TO REAL LIFE SITUATIONS, BUT ALSO TO IMPART THIS KNOWLEDGE IN SUCH A WAY AS TO EXCITE YOUR INTEREST AND TO TRAIN AND REFINE YOUR POWERS OF JUDGEMENT,+ MR. YEUNG SAID.

REFERRING TO SOCIAL STUDIES, HE EMPHASISED THAT A PROPER APPRECIATION OF HONG KONG'S HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS WOULD HELP US +TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE AS A COMMUNITY CAN SURVIVE IN FUTURE.+

A PROPER APPRECIATION OF GROGRAPHY +TELLS US THAT WE ARE A VITAL LINK BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF TRADE AND TRAVEL.+

MR. YEUNG ADDED THAT A PROPER APPREICATION OF +OUR RECENT HISTORY TELLS US THAT WE HAVE BECOME A POWERFUL MANUFACTURING AND EXPORT-ORIENTED ECONOMY, MAINLY AS A RESULT OF A FORTUNATE COMBINATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES IN THE 1950S AND 1960S.

+THIS COMBINATION CONSISTED OF THE INFLUX OF CAPITAL, EQUIPMENT AND INDUSTRIAL EXPERTISE FROM CHINA, OF THE CREATION OF A SERIES OF NON-DISCRIMINATORY INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS ON WORLD TRADE AND OF COMMONWEALTH PREFERENCE- OF A LARGE, HARDWORKING LABOUR FORCE AND OF THE GROWTH OF OUR PORT, OUR SHIPPING, BANKING AND OTHER FACILITIES ALL HAPPENING AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME.

+TO ALL THESE FACTORS WE OWE OUR ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL SUCCESSES OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO, HE SAID.

/+AS HONG KONG HAS