XN000022-1978-03-20 — Page 3

MONDAY, MARCH 20, 1378

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HONG KONG NEEDS COMPETENT TECHNICIANS AND CRAFTSMEN

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INDUSTRIAL DIVERSIFICATION AND THE MOVE TOWARDS MAKING HIGHER QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR HONG KONG WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO REALISE WITHOUT COMPETENT TECHNICIANS AND CRAFTSMEN 1. I.T. TSANG, SENIOR EDUCATION OFFICER (TECHNICAL), SAID TODAY AT THE LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF KWUN TONG.

HE SUGGESTED THAT A SOUND SYSTEM OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION .ITH A CONTINUED ELEVATION OF THE STATUS OF TECHNICIANS AND CRAFTSMEN MIGHT ATTRACT MORE ABLE STUDENTS INTO TECHNICAL INSTITUTIONS.

MR.

TSANG MADE THESE REMARKS AS HE FEARED THAT TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN THE NEAR FUTURE WOULD NOT ES ATTRACTING YOUNG MEN OF THE RIGHT CALIBRE AT THE LOWER LEVEL COURSES.

HE SAID THAT MOST PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES STILL HAD A MUCH GREATER URGE TO BECOME WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS BECAUSE OF HIGHER STATUS AND BETTER PROMOTION PROSPECTS.

HONG KONG, MR. TSANG SAID, HAD A VERY GOOD EMPLOYMENT RECORD AND FURTHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATES OF CRAFT COURSES.

DESPITE THIS AND THE INCREASED NUMBER OF PLACES PROVIDED IN THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES, THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS FOR FULL-TIME BASIC CRAFT COURSES HAD REMAINED CONSTANT OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, ALSO THE QUALITIES OF THE APPLICANTS WERE FOUND TO BE DECLINING, HE SAID.

MR. TSANG THEN OUTLINED GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS IN THE PROVISION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION. THESE INCLUDED: OPENING A FIFTH TECHNICAL INSTITUTE IN KOWLOON TONG IN SEPTEMBER 1979, WHICH WOULD ALSO PROVIDE COURSES SUITABLE FOR PHYSICALLY- HANDICAPPED STUDENTS BUILDING THREE NEW PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS AT SAU MAU PING, SHA TIN AND CHA! WAN BEFORE 1980= AND EXPANDING THE STUDENT POPULATION OF THE EXISTING FOUR TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AND THE 10 PRE-VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS.

HE STATED THAT EACH TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, WHEN FULLY DEVELOPED, COULD ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 1,000 FULL-TIME, 2,800 PART-TIME DAY-RELEASE AND ABOUT 4,000 EVENING STUDENTS WITH THE FURTHER USE OF OUTSIDE CENTRES IN SCHOOLS. THE ENROLMENT IN TECHNICAL INSTITUTES FOR THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR STOOD AT ABOUT 2,200 FOR FULL-TIME, 4,600 FOR PART-TIME DAY-RELEASE, AND 12,500 FOR EVENING COURSES.

IN TERMS OF OUTPUT, MR. TSANG SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE A 50 PER CENT INCREASE THIS YEAR OVER LAST YEAR IN THE INSTITUTES. IN 1977, THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES HAD A OUTPUT OF 1,002 GRADUATES FROM THEIR FULL-TIME COURSES 633 OF THEM WERE AT THE BASIC CRAFT LEVEL.

MR. TSANG SAID