XN000022-1976-02-26 — Page 9

8

NEW APPROACH TO LEARNING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS NEEDED

******

THE NEED FOR A NEW APPROACH TO LEARNING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN HONG KONG WAS STRESSED THIS AFTERNOON BY THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. KENNETH TOPLEY.

THE VARIOUS SUBJECT EXPERTS SHOULD TALK MORE TO ONE ANOTHER TO SEE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THEIR SUBJECTS AND WHAT THEY HAVE IN COMMON.

ADDRESSING THE GATHERING AT THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY SPEECH DAY OF KING'S COLLEGE, MR. TOPLEY SAID THAT PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES HAD HAD THEIR +REVOLUTIONS+ BUT THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAD STAYED MUCH THE SAME THIS CENTURY.

MORE AND MORE PRIMARY SCHOOLS ARE ADOPTING THE ACTIVITY APPROACH, WHICH IS A BIG CHANGE.

+EVERYONE HAS COMPLAINED THAT THE UNIVERSITIES ARE INWARD LOOKING AND THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE MORE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD,+ MR. TOPLEY SAID. +WELL SOMETHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT THAT.+

FOR INSTANCE, HE SAID, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG ACADEMICS FROM MANY DEPARTMENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY CO-OPERATE AND SOLVE PROBLEMS WHICH THEY HAVE IN COMMON AT THE CENTRE OF ASIAN STUDIES AND IN THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY THERE WAS A SOCIAL RESEARCH CENTRE.

BUT NOT MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

MR. TOPLEY ADDED: +HOWEVER IN THE FIRST THREE FORMS OF SECONDARY WE HAVE GOT A NEW SYLLABUS, A NEW APPROACH TO LEARNING. AND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF INTEGRATION OF SUBJECTS HAS TAKEN PLACE.

+I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT I HAVE A MANIA FOR THE INTEGRATION OF SUBJECTS- THERE ARE OTHER THINGS IN LIFE THAN THIS AND THE SPECIAL SUBJECTS DO HAVE THEIR PLACE.

+BUT IT IS A PLACE IN RELATION TO THE REST OF THE WORLD AND I DO HOPE THAT WE ARE GOING TO DEVELOP IN FORMS 4, 5 AND 6 A NEWER APPROACH TO LEARNING AND TO SUBJECT MATTER WHICH WILL BE MORE FRUITFUL AND WHICH, AMONG OTHER THINGS, WILL PREPARE THE STUDENTS FOR THE SORT OF LIFE THEY ARE GOING TO MEET IN THE WORLD AND IN UNIVERSITIES WHERE THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO STUDY ON THEIR OWN AND TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS THAT MOVE QUITE EASILY ACROSS SUBJECT BOUNDARIES.+

EXTENDING HIS CONGRATULATIONS TO KING'S COLLEGE ON ITS GOLDEN JUBILEE, MR. TOPLEY SAID NOT ONLY HAD THE SCHOOL BUILT UP A GOOD ACADÉMIC RECORD BUT IT HAD ALSO ENCOURAGED A WIDE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES.

HE PRAISED THE KING'S COLLEGE OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION FOR HELPING THE GOVERNMENT TO PROMOTE EDUCATION BY OPERATING TWO SUBSIDISED PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

19