XN000022-1976-05-22 — Page 2

SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1976-

PUPILS URGED TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE SEASHORE

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SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO GO TO THE SEASHORE TO ENJOY THEMSELVES SHOULD ALSO PROTECT AND CONSERVE IT, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. KENNETH TOPLEY SAID TODAY WHEN HE OPENED A SEMINAR ON +SHORE WATCH+, AN IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROJECT.

THOUSANDS OF PUPILS FROM 280 SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTES WILL TAKE PART IN THE PROJECT TO CARRY OUT EXPERIMENTS AND ECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE SEASHORE - THE OPEN AIR LABORATORY.

+SHORE WATCH+ IS A JOINTLY ORGANISED PROJECT BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, THE CONSERVANCY ASSOCIATION, LIONS INTERNATIONAL, DISTRICT 303 AND CALTEX OIL HONG KONG LTD.

MR. TOPLEY SAID THE EXERCISE WAS AN EXPERIENCE OR EDUCATION

IN LEARNING BY DISCOVERY.

+ IN HONG KONG OWING TO EXAMINATION PRESSURES AT ALL LEVELS OF STUDIES, EDUCATION, EVEN SCIENCE EDUCATION, CAN SO EASILY BECOME MERÉ BOOK LEARNING AND THE SOAKING UP OF FACTS, BUT IN EXPERIMENTING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROJECTS OF THIS NATURE WE HAVE THE EXACT OPPOSITE.

+ INSTEAD OF SIMPLY MEMORISING FACTS FROM A BOOK ON SEASHORE ECOLOGY, PUPILS WILL LEARN TO INQUIRE FOR THEMSELVES INTO THE INTERACTIONS IN NATURE AND, WHAT IS MORE, BUILD UP A BODY OF KNOWLEDGE BY THEIR OWN ORIGINAL RESEARCH,+ HE SAID.

THE DIRECTOR WAS SURE THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE +SHORE WATCH+ PROJECT WOULD HELP PUPILS REALISE WHAT SCIENCE WAS ALL ABOUT, IN MANY WAYS MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN THE NORMAL CLASSROOM AND INDOOR LABORATORY LESSONS.

MR. TOPLEY EMPHASISED THAT ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES IN HONG KONG WAS NOT SIMPLY TREATED AS A SINGLE SUBJECT IN THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM.

+THE PRINCIPLES OF ECOLOGY, CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARE TAUGHT IN SCHOOLS CONTINUOUSLY AT EVERY LEVEL FROM PRIMARY 1 TO FORM 6 AND WITHIN VARIOUS DISCIPLINES SUCH AS THE SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES.

+ IN THE MID-FIFTIES, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STARTED ORGANISING ACTIVITIES, SURVEYS AND PROJECTS RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND VOLUNTARY AGENCIES.

+SINCE THEN ACTIVITIES, SURVEYS AND PROJECTS HAVE BECOME MORE VARIED AND THEIR POPULARITY AMONG PUPILS AND TEACHERS IN BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS HAS INCREASED CONSIDERABLY,

+ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS AIM AT MAKING THE TEACHERS AND PUPILS MORE ACQUAINTED WITH THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT AND AWARE OF THEIR ROLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.+

THE DIRECTOR WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE LAUNCHING OF +SHORE WATCH+ WOULD STIMULATE GREATER ENTHUSIASM AMONG TEACHERS AND PUPILS IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.

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