XN000022-1978-03-01 — Page 22

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1978

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$1,967M TO BE SPENT ON EDUCATION IN 1978/79

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THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALLOCATED 01,967 MILLION FOR EDUCATION AT ALL LEVELS IN THE COMING FINANCIAL YEAR, REPRESENTING 19.2 PER CENT CF THE TOTAL EXPENDITURE.

THIS INCLUDES $50 MILLION EARMARKED FOR THE INTRODUCTION F FREE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR.

IN HIS BUDGET SPEECH, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON. PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, SAID THAT AT THE PRIMARY LEVEL THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY OF PROVIDING PLACES FOR EVERY CHILD OF PRIMARY SCHOOL AGE (SIX TO TEN YEARS) +HAS BEEN MORE THAN ACHIEVED FOR SOME YEARS NOW.+

HOWEVER, NEW PRIMARY CLASSES WILL BE OPENED IN 1978-79 AND ..ITH THE SHIFT OF POPULATION TO THE NEW TOWNS, THE DRAFT

ESTIMATES PROVIDE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 11,115 NEW PLACES IN DEVELOPING AREAS TO BE OFFSET CY A REDUCTION IN AREAS OF OVER PROVISION, HE ADDED.

IN RESPECT OF PLACES IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN, MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID OVER 14,500 SUCH PLACES ALREADY EXISTED, AND THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDED FOR AN ADDITIONAL 5,300 PLACES DURING THE FORTHCOMING YEAR.

ON SECONDARY EDUCATION, THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID A FORM I PLACE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR ALL PRIMARY SIX LEAVERS IN 1978. +THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDE FOR THE NUMBER OF FORM I PLACES TO BE INCREASED FROM 74,000 AT THE PRESENT TIME TO 100,900, + HE SAID, EDUCATION AT THE JUNIOR SECONDARY LEVEL IS TO BE FREE AS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IN SEPTEMBER.

REFERRING TO THE LEVEL OF SENIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION, MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID AN ADDITIONAL 11,331 PLACES IN FORMS IV AND V WOULD BE PROVIDED BY THIS SEPTEMBER, SO AS TO BUILD UP THE STOCK OF SUCH PLACES TOWARDS THE APPROVED TARGET OF 40 PER CENT OF THE 15-16 AGE GROUP.

TO PHASE OUT THE BUYING OF PLACES IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND FLOTATION OF CLASSES IN EXISTING SCHOOLS, ADDITIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE BEING BUILT. TO DATE 31 SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN BUILT AND A FURTHER 21 WILL BE COMPLETED IN 1978-79.

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY ALSO SAID THAT IN SEPTEMBER 1978, THE FOUR TECHNICAL INSTITUTES WILL HAVE A TOTAL ENROLMENT OF ABOUT 3,400 FULL TIME STUDENTS AND 8,600 STUDENTS ON PART-TIME DAY RELEASE COURSES, AN INCREASE OF 1,000 AND 4,900 RESPECTIVELY.

AT TERTIARY LEVEL, THE UNIVERSITIES AND THE POLYTECHNIC MOULD MOVE INTO A NEW PLANNING PERIOD DURING THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR, THIS TIME A TRIENNIUM COVERING THE ACADEMIC YEARS 1978-79 TO 1980-81.

THE NECESSARY PROVISION FOR THE CONTINUATION OF CURRENT COMMITMENTS AT THE THREE INSTITUTIONS AND FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE COMING FINANCIAL YEAR HAS DEEN INCLUDED IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES, MR. HADDON-CAVE SAID.

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