XN000022-1976-02-25 — Page 20

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1976

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HE EXPECTED THAT THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION WOULD, LATER IN THE BUDGET DEBATE, EXPLAIN THE IMPLICATION OF THIS MASSIVE PROGRAMME OF EXPANSION, INCLUDING THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS GRADUATING FROM TEACHERS' COLLEGES IN 1976.

FOR CHILDREN WISHING TO PROCEED BEYOND FORM 11, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID: THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 1,600 PLACES IN FORMS IV AND V, INCREASING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SUCH PLACES TO 40,700 BY SEPTEMBER 1976+

+THERE WILL ALSO BE AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 1,000 PLACES IN FORMS VI TO BRING THE TOTAL OF SUCH PLACES TO 10,000.+

MR. HADDON-CAVE ADDED THAT IN SEPTEMBER 1976, TOTAL ENROLMENT IN THE THREE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES WAS EXPECTED TO BE ABOUT 3,300 FULL-TIME STUDENTS, AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 1,000 OVER SEPTEMBER 1975, CONSTRUCTION OF A FOURTH TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, AT CHEUNG SHA WAN, HAD ALREADY STARTED AND WOULD CONTINUE DURING 1976-77, AND WORK ON A FIFTH INSTITUTE AT SAN PO KONG WOULD BEGIN DURING THE YEAR AT AN ESTIMATED BUILDING COST OF $14.2 MILLION.

AT THE TERTIARY LEVEL, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID, THE GOVERNMENT'S OBJECTIVE WAS TO ACHIEVE TARGETS OF 8,850 STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITIES AND 8,000 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT DAY STUDENTS AT THE POLYTECHNIC BY 1977-78.

HE SAID THE DRAFT ESTIMATES FOR 1976-77 PROVIDED FOR GRANTS TO BE MADE THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE TO ENABLE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED AT THE UNIVERSITIES TO BE INCREASED TO 8,250 IN SEPTEMBER 1976, AN INCREASE OF SOME 700 OVER SEPTEMBER 1975.

+BECAUSE MOST COURSES ARE FOR THREE YEARS, THIS IMPLIES AN ENROLMENT OF 8,850 IN SEPTEMBER 1977, THAT IS TO SAY, THE TARGET FIGURE.+

AT THE POLYTECHNIC, THE NUMBER OF FULL TIME EQUIVALENT DAY STUDENTS ENROLLED IN SEPTEMBER 1976 WAS EXPECTED TO BE 5,950 COMPARED WITH 4,991 IN SEPTEMBER 1975.

BY SEPTEMBER 1978, HE SAID, THE TARGET OF 8,000 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT DAY STUDENTS SHOULD BE ALMOST REACHED SINCE PHASE TWO OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POLYTECHNIC WOULD BEGIN IN 1976-77 WHEN IT WAS EXPECTED THAT $17 MILLION OF THE PROJECT ESTIMATE OF $37 MILLION WOULD BE SPENT.

MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSED TO SPEND $1,376 MILLION ON EDUCATION IN THE COMING FINANCIAL YEAR.

THIS AMOUNT WAS MADE UP OF $1,260 MILLION FOR RECURRENT EXPENDITURE BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, ON SUBVENTIONS AND BY THE UNIVERSITY AND POLYTECHNIC GRANTS COMMITTEE, AND $116 MILLION FOR CAPITAL EXPENDITURE.

THE FIGURE OF $1,376 MILLION REPRESENTS 19.1 PER CENT OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE IN 1976-77, COMPARED WITH 20.8 PER CENT IN 1975- 76.

IN ADDITION, SOME $33 MILLION IS EXPECTED TO BE DRAWN IN 1976-77 AS LOANS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT LOAN FUND TO ASSIST IN THE FINANCING OF NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS IN THE AIDED AND PRIVATE SECTOR.

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