XN000022-1980-07-11 — Page 4

FRIDAY, JULY 11, 1980

3

HUMAN RESOURCES IMPORTANT FOR DEVELOPMENT

****

IN THE LONG RUN, HUMAN RESOURCES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MATERIAL ISTIC RESOURCES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PLACE, ISLANDS DISTRICT OFFICER MR NICKY LO, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE FIRST GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE BUDDHIST FAT HO COLLEGE AT TAI 0, LANTAU, MR LO SAID DEVELOPMENT DEPENDED ON THE WORKING TOGETHER OF VARIOUS ELEMENTS.

VERY IMPORTANT

+SUFFICIENCY OF MATERIALISTIC RESOURCES PLAYS ROLE IN THE SHORT TERM. HOWEVER, SUFFICIENCY OF HUMAN RESOURCES IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT IN THE LONG RUN, HE SAID.

THE SCHOOL, WHICH IS THE FIRST GOVERNMENT-SUBSIDISED SCHOOL ON THE ISLAND OF JUST OVER 30 000 RESIDENTS, WAS OPENED IN 1977.

GOVERNMENT PROVIDED THE LAND AND $3.35 MILLION, WHILE THE LOCAL PO LIN MONASTERY DONATED $710 000 TOWARDS THE BUILDING COST. IT WAS NAMED AFTER THE LATE ABBOT OF THE MONASTERY, THE REV FAT HO, WHO SPENT MORE THAN 40 YEARS ON THE ISLAND BEFORE HIS DEATH IN 1972.

THE SCHOOL STARTED WITH 10 CLASSES BUT THE NUMBER HAS GROWN TO 18 THIS YEAR AND WILL FURTHER INCREASE TO 24 IN THE COMING TERM. IT WILL HAVE A CAPACITY FOR ABOUT 1 000 STUDENTS.

MR LO SAID THE COLLEGE'S FIRST GRADUATION CEREMONY WAS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANTAU.

+NOT A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ARE GRADUATING TODAY, BUT THE DAY WILL COME WHEN FAT HO COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE GREATER IN NUMBER AND OUTSTANDING IN QUALITY. THEY WILL SPREAD THE SPIRIT OF THE COLLEGE IN SOCIETY, AND GREATLY INFLUENCE THE LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISTRICT,+ HE SAID.

MR LO COMMENDED THE HONG KONG BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION, THE PRIESTS OF THE PO LIN MONASTERY AND THE FOUNDERS OF THE COLLEGE FOR +THE FORESIGHT TO RECOGNISE THE NEEDS OF LANTAU AND THE ASPIRATION TO BUILD ITS FIRST GOVERNMENT SUBSIDISED SECONDARY SCHOOL.

HE SAID GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED TO BUILD THE ISLAND'S SECOND SECONDARY SCHOOL AT MUI WO IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE HEUNG YEE KUK AND THAT WORK WILL START THIS OCTOBER AND BE COMPLETED IN 1982.

+THE ISLANDS DISTRICT WILL THEN HAVE SUFFICIENT SECONDARY SCHOOL PLACES, AND EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT IN THE DISTRICT WILL GO A STEP FURTHER, HE SAID.

14