XN000022-1979-01-16 — Page 3

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1979

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ONE FEATURE OF THIS EXTENDED WORK WOULD BE THE INTRODUCTION ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS OF THE STUDENT GUIDANCE OFFICERS SCHEME: THE USE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF TRAINED TEACHERS WHO HAD BEEN GIVEN FURTHER TRAINING IN COUNSELLING GUIDANCE AND SOCIAL WORK TECHNIQUES.

MR. HO SAID THAT ALTHOUGH 1979 WAS THE YEAR OF THE CHILD THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING THE FAMILY AS A UNIT WAS NOT DIMINISHED THEREBY. +ALTHOUGH OUR SERVICES ARE PLANNED ON THE BASIS OF SPECIFIC AGE GROUPS. THE UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY IS TO FOSTER CARE OF THE INDIVIDUAL WITHIN A FAMILY SETTING AS FAR AS POSSIBLE, WHETHER HE IS A CHILD OR AN OLD PERSON, MR. HO SAID.

HE SAID THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT ATTACHED GREAT IMPORTANCE TO FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION TO PROMOTE HARMONY AND MUTUAL HELP AND TRUST AMONG INDIVIDUAL FAMILY MEMBERS.

+THIS PROGRAMME WILL CONTINUE TO BE DEVELOPED IN 1979 AND OUR CHILDREN WILL CERTAINLY BE AMONG THE BENEFICIARIES OF THIS EFFORT.+

MR. HO SAID THERE WOULD BE IMPROVED PROTECTION FOR YOUNG

WORKERS.

+WE HAVE LONG PROHIBITED THE ENTRY OF YOUNGSTERS UNDER 14 INTO INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT. THE WORKING OF OVERTIME IN INDUSTRY BY 14 AND 15-YEAR-OLDS IS ALSO PROHIBITED AND THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE OVERTIME WORKING BY 16 AND 17-YEAR-OLDS IS REGULATED.

+DUR ING 1979, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE RAISING OF THE AGE OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION, WE SHALL ALSO MAKE CHANGES TO THE EMPLOYMENT SCENE.+

FROM THIS SEPTEMBER THE LIMITATIONS CURRENTLY IN FORCE IN

THIS INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT WOULD BE EXTENDED MORE GENERALLY. PROPOSED LEGISLATION WOULD ALSO PROVIDE THAT FROM SEPTEMBER, 1980, THE AGE LIMIT FOR ALL EMPLOYMENT WOULD BE FURTHER EXTENDED TO 15, OR THE COMPLETION OF FORM 111.

+WHILE THE PROGRAMME OF SERVICES TO THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ARE BUT A PART OF OUR OVERALL SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLANS, I CAN CONFIDENTLY PREDICT THAT WHEN WE TAKE STOCK AFTER 1979 WE SHALL FIND THAT OUR PROGRESS IN THIS WHOLE FIELD HAS BEEN A FITTING RECOGNITION OF THE UNITED NATIONS' YEAR OF THE CHILD, MR. HO DECLARED.

MR. HO SAID LAST OCTOBER GOVERNMENT PUBLISHED ITS LONG TERM PLANS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SENIOR SECONDARY TERTIARY EDUCATION. A NUMBER OF PLANS WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED FROM SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR

RECURRENT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO THE APPROVED POST- SECONDARY COLLEGES WHICH ELECTED TO ACCEPT THE GOVERNMENT SCHEME OF ASSISTANCE-

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* A LOAN SCHEME FOR ALL EXISTING STUDENTS OF THE APPROVED

POST-SECONDARY COLLEGES WHO WERE IN NEED- AND

* THE BRINGING ON TO FULL SUBSIDY UNDER THE CODE OF AID OF

ALL PRIVATE NON-PROFIT MAKING SCHOOLS CUNRRENTLY RECEIVING ASSISTANCE ON A PER CAPITA BASIS SUITABLE FOR AND WILLING TO HAVE THIS CHANGE IN STATUS.

AR. HO ALSO