XN000022-1982-10-28 — Page 17

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1982

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+ I THEREFORE WOULD LIKE TO REITERATE MY EARLIER CALL FOR A SPECIAL WORKING GROUP WITH UNOFFICIAL INPUT AND PARTICIPATION TO ASSESS THE ENTIRE AREA OF PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION TO BE SET UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.+

MRS CHOW ALSO CALLED FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSESSMENT SYSTEM.

APART FROM THE GENERAL OBJECTIONS TO THE FREQUENCY OF PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS, SHE ARGUED, THERE IS ALSO THE UNDESIRABLE TIMING OF THIS PARTICULAR EXAMINATION.

+ IT IS TOTALLY UNNECESSARY TO SUBJECT ALL 15-YEAR-OLDS TO THE STRESS AND STRAIN OF THIS SCALING TEST WHEN THE RESULTS COULD BE ACHIEVED BY CHOICE ON THE PART OF THE SCHOOLS, THE PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS, SHE SAID.

MRS CHOW SAID THE PRESSURE OF THE JSEA HAD CAUSED MANY TEACHERS TO DISPLACE WORTHWHILE EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES WITH DRILLING AND TO REDUCE EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.

MANY TEACHERS ALSO QUERY THE CLAIM THAT JSEA IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY TO STREAM THE STUDENTS AND ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE SERIOUS ADJUSTMENT AND INTEGRATION PROBLEMS THAT MANY FORM ||| STUDENTS HAVE TO FACE WHEN TRANSFERRED TO A NEW SCHOOL.

+IN VIEW OF THE STRONG FEELINGS EXPRESSED,

I WOULD URGE AN IMMEDIATE REASSESSMENT OF THE SITUATION WHICH WOULD HOPEFULLY LEAD TO THE EARLY ABOLITION OF THE JSEA,+ SHE SAID.

+ INEVITABLY, THIS MUST LEAD TO THE STUDY OF WHETHER THE EXTENSION OF FREE EDUCATION TO INCLUDE FORMS IV AND V COULD BE HASTENED, ALTHOUGH THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS AN ISSUE QUITE SEPARATE AND INDEPENDENT OF THE JSEA.+

MRS CHOW ALSO SOUGHT TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.

QUOTING STATISTICS, SHE SAID THE NUMBER OF THOSE WHO LEFT SCHOOL AFTER FORMS V AND VI IN 1981 WAS APPROXIMATELY 72 000 AND THAT OF MATRICULANTS WAS 12 836.

OF THOSE MATRICULANTS, ONLY 2 598 GAINED ADMISSION INTO THE TWO UNIVERSITIES IN HONG KONG.

THERE ARE ALSO A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 30 WHO FINISHED FORM V AND WHO MIGHT WISH TO UNDERTAKE A UNIVERSITY COURSE, SHE REMARKED.

+THE DEMAND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IS THEREFORE QUITE TREMENDOUS.

+THE FORMULA OF THE OPEN UNIVERSITY SO SUCCESSFULLY TRIED IN THE U.K. AND ELSEWHERE SHOULD BE WELL SUITED TO A PLACE LIKE HONG KONG AND SUCH A POSSIBILITY SHOULD BE EXPLORED IN EARNEST, MRS CHOW URGED.

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