XN000022-1976-11-01 — Page 2

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1976

HOWEVER, SOME OF THESE CHILDREN MAY HAVE TO RETURN TO THE CENTRES FOR COUNSELLING OR EDUCATIONAL TREATMENT ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK.

MR. CHAN SAID THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS TO ACCOMPANY THEIR CHILDREN TO THESE SESSIONS SO THAT THEY COULD LEARN AND CARRY ON THE TREATMENT ON THEIR CHILDREN AT HOME.

PARENTS ARE ALSO GIVEN ADVICE ON HOW TO MANAGE HANDICAPPED CHILDREN BY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND COUNSELLORS OF THE CENTRES.

APART FROM ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIAL WORK, THE CENTRES ALSO SERVE AS BASES FOR PREVENTIVE PROGRAMMES IN HEARING, SPEECH, AND VISION SCREENING TO DETECT PROBLEMS IN THESE AREAS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE, AND GROUP TESTING PROGRAMMES IN SPOTTING SLOW LEARNING AND MALADJUSTED CHILDREN.

THESE PROGRAMMES ARE BEING CARRIED OUT AT DIFFERENT LEVELS IN GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS SOME PROGRAMMES HAVE ALREADY BEEN EXTENDED TO COVER SOME AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

A TOTAL OF OVER 73,000 PUPILS UNDERWENT SUCH SCREENING TESTS IN THE LAST ACADEMIC YEAR.

ANOTHER SERVICE RENDERED BY THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SECTION IS TO MAKE SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR HANDICAPPED CANDIDATES AT PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS. THE SECTION OPERATES SPECIAL EXAMINATION CENTRES FOR HANDICAPPED CANDIDATES FOR THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION AND THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION.

HANDICAPPED CANDIDATES MAY BE GIVEN SPECIAL CONSIDERATION SUCH AS SPECIAL SITTING ARRANGEMENTS, EXTRA TIME ALLOWANCE, SPECIAL

INVIGILATORS, AMANUENSIS, BRAILLE EXAMINATION PAPERS AND ALLOWANCE" IN ORAL EXAMINATION.

IN ADDITION TO THE ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIAL SERVICES, THE SECTION ALSO DIRECTS A BRAILLE PRINTING PRESS WHICH IS OPERATED BY THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER. THIS PRESS PRINTS ALL THE CANTONESE BRAILLE TEXTBOOKS FOR SCHOOLS. TO DATE ABOUT 10,500 VCLUMES OF 234 TYPES OF BOOKS HAVE BEEN PRINTED AND SUPPLIED TO SCHOOLS UNDER GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY AT ONE-TENTH OF THE ACTUAL COST.

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