XN000022-1979-01-12 — Page 12

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1979

COMMUNICATION AN IMPORTANT AIM OF EDUCATION

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EXAMINATIONS CANNOT MEASURE EVERYTHING AND THERE IS FAR MORE TO LIFE THAN EXAMINATION RESULTS, MR. ARTHUR BROWN, SENIOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION (PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT) SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

HE ADDED THAT HE FELT SURE THAT IN THE FUTURE EXAMINATIONS WOULD PLAY A FAR LESS IMPORTANT ROLE THAN AT PRESENT.

MR. BROWN WAS SPEAKING AT THE ANNUAL SPEECH DAY OF THE SECONDARY SCHOOL COURSES AT THE CLEMENTI MIDDLE SCHOOL CENTRE. THE SECONDARY SCHOOL COURSES ARE PART-TIME COURSES OF SIX-YEAR DURATION AND LEAD TO THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION.

TURNING TO THE WIDER AIM OF EDUCATION, HE SAID: +1 THINK IT IS TO LEARN TO DEVELOP OUR SKILLS AND INTERESTS, TO LEARN TO WORK AND CO-OPERATE WITH OTHER PEOPLE, TO HAVE A FEELING FOR THE WORLD AROUND US, TO LEARN TO EXPRESS OURSELVES SO THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS AND TO LEARN THE TECHNIQUES OF LEARNING SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO STUDY THE THINGS WE NEED, OR THAT

INTEREST US, AFTER WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR COURSE OF FORMAL EDUCATION. +

IN PARTICULAR, MR. BROWN STRESSED THE NEED TO LEARN TO COMMUNICATE, WHICH HE FELT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL THE AIMS OF EDUCATION IN HONG KONG.

+ I THINK THAT WE MUST ALL STRIVE TO IMPROVE OUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE IN BOTH CHINESE AND ENGLISH SO THAT WE CAN PASS ON OUR IDEAS TO OTHER PEOPLE AND RECEIVE IDEAS FROM THEM,+ HE SAID.

NOTING THAT WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF UNIVERSAL EDUCATION UP TO FORM III LEVEL THERE WOULD BE VERY LITTLE NEED FOR EVENING COURSES COVER ING LOWER SECONDARY WORK, MR. BROWN SAID THIS WOULD

INEVITABLY AFFECT THE NATURE OF PART TIME SECONDARY SCHOOL COURSES.

+SCHOOLS RUNNING THESE COURSES WILL THEREFORE BE ABLE TO TURN TO THE JOB OF PROVIDING PART TIME UPPER SECONDARY COURSES FOR THOSE NEEDING TO START WORK AFTER COMPLETING FORM III WHO WOULD LIKE BOTH TO EARN SOME MONEY AND CONTINUE WITH THEIR EDUCATION, + HE SAID.

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