XN000022-1977-01-19 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1977

THREE-YEAR SECONDARY EDUCATION

FOR ALL PRIMARY SCHOOL LEAVERS BY 1978

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THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, THE HON. KENNETH TOPLEY, TODAY GAVE AN ASSURANCE THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL ATTAIN THE OBJECTIVE OF MAKING A THREE-YEAR SECONDARY EDUCATION AVAILABLE FOR ALL COMPLETING THEIR PRIMARY EDUCATION BY 1978.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HE SAID THAT SUFFICIENT SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES TO MEET THIS OBJECTIVE WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE BUILDING OF NEW SCHOOLS, THE OPERATION OF FLOATING CLASSES AND EXTENDED DAY TIME-TABLES IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS, THE CONVERSION OF A NUMBER OF UNDER-UTILISED GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS INTO SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND THE BUYING OF ADDITIONAL PLACES IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS.

+THIS PROGRAMME HAS ALREADY BEEN OUTLINED IN A PAPER SUBMITTED TO FINANCE COMMITTEE IN OCTOBER, 1976,+ MR. TOPLEY SAID,

A FEATURE OF THE PAPER, HE ADDED, WAS A FULLER BUILDING PROGRAMME THAN HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN PLANNED WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE NEW SCHOOLS TO BE BUILT IN THE NEW DEVELOPING CENTRES OF POPULATION.

THE DIRECTOR POINTED OUT THAT THE EXPANSION OF PUBLIC SECTOR PLACES WAS PROCEEDING SATISFACTORILY. IN SEPTEMBER 1976, 6,800 ADDITIONAL FORM I PLACES WERE PROVIDED. THIS ENABLED THE PULL-THROUGH RATE IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION ALLOCATION TO RISE FROM 51 PER CENT IN 1975 TO 65 PER CENT IN 1976.

+ IT IS NOW PLANNED TO PROVIDE A FURTHER 11,000 FORM PLACES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR IN SEPTEMBER 1977,+ MR. TOPLEY SAID.

+OF THESE, 2,000 WILL BE IN EXISTING AND NEW GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS, 3,000 IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS BECOMING AVAILABLE FROM THE CONVERSION OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS, 3,000 FROM FLOATING CLASSES AND EXTENDED DAY OPERATION IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS AND A FURTHER 3,000 BOUGHT PLACES IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS.+

HE SAID THAT WOULD MEAN THAT SOME 75 PER CENT OF THOSE SITTING THE S.S.E.E. WOULD BE ALLOCATED A FORM PLACE IN 1977.

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