XN000022-1982-11-11 — Page 13

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1982

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+EVEN NOW, COMMENTS ON DETAILS CONTINUE TO BE MADE BY THE PUBLIC. THESE ARE GIVEN CAREFUL CONSIDERATION BY MY DEPARTMENT AND WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN SUBSEQUENT REVIEWS OF THE SYSTEM, + MR HAYE SAID.

ON MR CHEONG'S POINT CONCERNING THE FREEDOM OF PARENTS TO CHOOSE, MR HAYE SAID, WHILE THE NEW SYSTEM MAY APPEAR TO HAVE REDUCED THE FREEDOM OF PARENTS TO CHOOSE, IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY FOLLOW THAT IF THE PREVIOUS ARRANGEMENTS WERE REINTRODUCED, PARENTS WOULD HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF SUCCESS IN GAINING ADMISSION TO THE SCHOOL OF THEIR CHOICE BECAUSE OF THE COMPETITION OF OTHER PARENTS WHO WOULD ALSO BE FREE TO APPLY.

+AND WE WOULD BE BACK TO THE SITUATION WHERE FIVE YEAR-OLDS WERE FORCED TO QUEUE UP IN FRONT OF ONE PRIMARY SCHOOL AFTER ANOTHER TO SIT INIQUITOUS ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS, SOME OF THEM OF THREE HOURS DURATION. I AM GLAD THAT PARENTS HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF THE FREEDOM TO IMPOSE THIS ON THEIR CHILDREN.

ON ANOTHER PROPOSAL BY MR CHEONG THAT POPULAR PRIMARY SCHOOLS BE ALLOWED TO GO PRIVATE, MR HAYE SAID THAT TECHNICALLY, ANY AIDED SCHOOL COULD GO PRIVATE SO LONG AS IT COMPLIED WITH THE CONDITIONS IN THE CODE OF AID FOR WITHDRAWING FROM THE SUBSIDY SCHEME.

BUT, MR HAYE SAID THAT SINCE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PRIMARY ONE ADMISSION SYSTEM HE HAD NOT HAD A SINGLE APPLICATION FROM AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOLS TO GO PRIVATE AND HAD RATHER UNEXPECTEDLY RECEIVED AS MANY AS 16 APPLICATIONS FROM PRIVATE NON-PROF IT-MAKING PRIMARY SCHOOLS TO TURN FULLY AIDED.

+ IS MR CHEONG SERIOUSLY SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD DELIBERATELY AIM AT CREATING A TWO-TIER EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM CONSISTING OF SOME SCHOOLS FOR THE WEALTHY AND OTHER SCHOOLS FOR THE REST?+ MR HAYE ASKED.

SCHOOLS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR WERE NOT, AND WOULD PROBABLY NEVER BE, HOMOGENEOUS, HE STATED.

+YET I THINK AS A MATTER OF POLICY WE MUST AIM TO NARROW RATHER THAN WIDEN GAPS, AND WE MUST AIM TO LEVEL UPWARDS AND NOT DOWNWARDS, HE ADDED.

ON BISESSIONALISM IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS REFERRED TO BY DR IP, MR HAYE SAID IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO PLAN FOR A COMPLETE REVERSION TO WHOLE-DAY SCHOOLING AT THIS STAGE THOUGH 21 SCHOOLS CONVERTED TO WHOLE-DAY OPERATION IN SEPTEMBER, 1982.

HOWEVER, MR HAYE SAID THAT THE 1981 WHITE PAPER ON PRIMARY EDUCATION AND PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES HAD CLEARLY STATED OUR INTENTION TO ENCOURAGE WHOLE-DAY OPERATION IN THOSE SCHOOLS WHERE THIS WAS CONSIDERED FEASIBLE AND PRACTICABLE.

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