XN000022-1976-11-19 — Page 3

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1976

INTRODUCTION OF CREDIT UNITARY SYSTEM INTO TECHNICAL INSTITUTES PLANNED

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THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS PLANNING TO INTRODUCE +TECHNICIAN PROGRAMMES OF STUDY AND A CREDIT UNITARY SYSTEM+ INTO TECHNICAL INSTITUTES IN SEPTEMBER 1977 ALTHOUGH FINAL DETAILS HAVE YET TO BE WORKED OUT, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. DANIEL WATERS SAID TODAY.

ADDRESSING THE GATHERING AT THE TANG KING PO SCHOOL SPEECH DAY, MR. WATERS SAID THE POLYTECHNIC HAD ALREADY

INTRODUCED THE SCHEME ON A LIMITED SCALE THIS SESSION AND A NUMBER OF OTHER COURSES WOULD GO OVER TO CREDIT-UNITS IN SEPTEMBER 1977.

HE ADDED: +THE IDEA WILL PROVIDE SOMETHING OF A NEW LOOK FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION.+

THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SAID THE VIEWS OF INDUSTRY WERE BEING SOUGHT AND DETAILS HAD BEEN SENT TO THE HONG KONG TRAINING COUNCIL.

+WE HAVE ALSO HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH INDUSTRIAL ORGANISATIONS AND OTHER BODIES, MR. WATERS SAID.

EXPLAINING HOW THE NEW SYSTEM WORKS, MR. WATERS SAID THE IDEA OF A COURSE WOULD BE CHANGED AND A TECHNICIAN STUDENT OF THE FUTURE IN HONG KONG COULD EXPECT TO HAVE HIS OWN PROGRAMME OF STUDY.

+THIS PROGRAMME WILL BE BUILT UP FROM A NUMBER OF UNITS SAY 20 OR MORE FOR A FULL-TIME STUDENT AND 12 OR MORE FOR A PART-TIME STUDENT.

+ IN OTHER WORDS, A UNIT IS A SELF-CONTAINED PART OF A PROGRAMME OF STUDY WHICH CAN BE SEPARATELY ASSESSED AND

IF THIS PROGRAMME IS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THIS WILL COUNT FOR A CREDIT TOWARDS A STUDENT'S AWARD.

+ THE SCHEME IS BY NO MEANS NEW. SIMILAR SCHEMES HAVE BEEN IN OPERATION IN THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS IN MOST OF THE IR UNIVERSITIES. AT PRESENT A SCHEME IS IN OPERATION IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE OPEN UNIVERSITY, MR. WATERS SAID.

SPEAKING ABOUT THE ADVANTAGES OF THE SCHEME, THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR SAID THAT A STUDENT IN A TECHNICAL

INSTITUTE OR IN THE POLYTECHNIC WHO HAD COMPLETED A PROPERLY PLANNED UNIT IN A SECONDARY SCHOOL COULD BE AWARDED CREDIT.

/+SUCH