XN000022-1980-02-12 — Page 8

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1980

TEACHER TRAINING COURSES TO BE EXTENDED TO THREE YEARS

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THE TWO-YEAR FULL TIME COURSES ON TEACHER EDUCATION OFFERED BY THE THREE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION WILL BE EXTENDED TO THREE YEARS FOR STUDENTS WITH CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS ENTERING THE COURSE FROM SEPTEMBER 1980.

HOWEVER, STUDENTS WITH GRADE E IN AT LEAST TWO SUBJECTS AT THE ADVANCED LEVEL, WHICH ARE RELEVANT TO THE MAIN SCHOOL CURRICULUM, WILL TAKE A SPECIALLY STRUCTURED TWO-YEAR COURSE AT NORTHCOTE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION WHICH TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THEIR EXTRA PERIOD OF STUDY AT SCHOOL.

THE EXTENSION OF THE TWO-YEAR COURSE TO THREE YEARS AND THE SEPARATELY STRUCTURED TWO-YEAR COURSE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE 1978 WHITE PAPER WHICH CALLED FOR AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE QUALITY OF NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS AND A HIGHER EDUCATIONAL STANDARD AMONG APPLICANTS.

+AMONG THE NEW INNOVATIVE FEATURES OF THE FULL-TIME COURSES ARE AN INCREASED EMPHASIS TO BE GIVEN TO LANGUAGE SKILLS IN BOTH CHINESE AND ENGLISH AND AN EXTENSION OF THE CURRENT PROGRAMMES OF CREATIVE AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, AN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID.

GRANTHAM, NORTHCOTE AND SIR ROBERT BLACK COLLEGES OF EDUCATION WILL OFFER A THREE-YEAR ENGLISH COURSE TO APPLICANTS WITH MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AT THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION LEVEL.

THE GRANTHAM COLLEGE, IN ADDITION, WILL RUN A THREE-YEAR CHINESE COURSE WITH THE SAME MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS.

+THE AIM OF THESE BASIC COURSES IS TO TRAIN STUDENTS TO BECOME QUALIFIED TEACHERS TO TEACH GENERAL SUBJECTS AT THE PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL AND TO TEACH THREE ELECTED SUBJECTS UP TO FORM 111 LEVEL IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

ON THE THREE-YEAR COURSE, EACH STUDENT WILL ELECT TWO SUBJECTS AS MAJOR ELECTIVES FOR STUDY OVER THREE YEARS AND ONE SUBJECT AS A MINOR ELECTIVE FOR STUDY OVER TWO YEARS,

ON THE TWO-YEAR COURSE, EACH STUDENT WILL ELECT TWO SUBJECTS AS MAJOR ELECTIVES AND ONE SUBJECT AS A MINOR ELECTIVE.

THE RANGE OF ELECTIVE SUBJECTS TO BE OFFERED INCLUDES ART/DESIGN, CHINESE, CHINESE HISTORY, ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, ENGLISH, GEOGRAPHY, HEALTH SCIENCE, HISTORY, HOME ECONOMICS MATHEMATICS, MUSIC, PHYSICAL EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES.

BASIC AREAS OF COMPULSORY STUDY FOR ALL STUDENTS IN BOTH COURSES WILL BE EDUCATION (THEORY AND PRACTICE), EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY, PRIMARY STUDIES, AND LANGUAGE SKILLS (CHINESE AND ENGLISH).

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