XN000022-1978-10-18 — Page 4

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1978

FLOTATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE USED TO ACHIEVE A MORE INTENSIVE USE OF TEACHING FACILITIES BUT SCHOOLS WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO CONTINUE WITH EXTENDED DAY. AN ARRANGEMENT UNDER WHICH CLASSES ARE STAGGERED THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

THE QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SENIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION WILL ALSO BE IMPROVED. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY PROVIDING BETTER EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES FOR SCHOOLS BY BRINGING PRIVATE NON- PROF IT-MAKING SCHOOLS ON TO THE FULL CODE OF AID AND BY LOWERING THE SIZE OF CLASSES IN THESE SCHOOLS FROM 45 TO 40- BY BROADENING THE CURRICULUM TO PUT GREATER EMPHASIS ON PRACTICAL AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS- BY IMPROVING SUPPORTING SERVICES- AND BY MAKING AVAILABLE A GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOL IN EACH MAIN DISTRICT SO AS TO WIDEN THE CHOICE OF SCHOOLS.

THE HONG KONG EXAMINATIONS AUTHORITY WILL REVIEW EXAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS AT FORM 5-LEVEL.

AN IMPROVED SCHEME OF TEACHER TRAINING WILL BE INTRODUCED AT THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF TEACHING. CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION-HOLDERS WILL UNDERGO A THREE-YEAR TRAINING COURSE, ALTHOUGH SOME STUDENTS WITH HIGHER ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS MAY BE ADMITTED DIRECT TO AN EQUIVALENT TWO-YEAR COLLEGE COURSE. THE SCHEME PROVIDING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION STUDENTS WILL ALSO BE IMPROVED,

REGULAR REFRESHER COURSES WILL BE INTRODUCED FOR SERVING TEACHERS. PRE-SERVICE AND IN-SERVICE COURSES WILL PUT GREATER EMPHASIS ON THE NEED FOR TEACHERS TO DEVELOP LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY AND TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

FORM 6 AND TERTIARY EDUCATION

UP TO A THIRD OF STUDENTS WHO TAKE UP A SUBSIDISED FORM 4 PLACE WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A SUBSIDISED FORM 6 PLACE IF DEMAND FROM SUITABLE STUDENTS WARRANTS IT.

IN TERTIARY EDUCATION, THE MAIN PROPOSALS CALL FOR:

*

*

*

A THREE PER CENT ANNUAL INCREASE IN THE COMBINED UNDER- GRADUATE POPULATION OF THE TWO UNIVERSITIES TO BRING THE NUMBER OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UP TO MORE THAN 12,000 BY THE MID-1980S-

THE INTRODUCTION AT BOTH UNIVERSITIES OF PART-TIME DEGREE COURSES DESIGNED MAINLY FOR MATURE STUDENTS-

CONSIDERATION OF A LIMITED DEGREE PROGRAMME FOR THE POLYTECHNIC-

* STABILISING THE POLYTECHNIC'S TOTAL STUDENT BODY OF NEARLY

30,000 ACCORDING TO THE PRESENT STUDENT MIX- AND

*

EXPANDING THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES TO TAKE OVER AND DEVELOP SOME OF THE ORDINARY DIPLOMA AND CERTIFICATE COURSES RUN BY THE POLYTECHNIC AND FOR THE POLYTECHNIC TO CONCENTRATE MORE ON HIGHER DIPLOMA AND HIGHER CERTIFICATE COURSES.

/APPROVED.....