XN000022-1982-11-19 — Page 8

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1982

THE FIRST THING THAT MUST BE DONE TO HELP THEM IS TO OFFER THEM JOBS SO THAT THEY CAN REGAIN SELF-CONFIDENCE AND HAVE THE COURAGE TO COPE WITH THESE PRESSURES AND PROBLEMS, HE SAID.

MR HO PAID TRIBUTE TO THOSE EMPLOYERS WHO HAVE HELPED BY OFFERING JOBS AND WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE WORK OF THE EMPLOYMENT SERVICE OF THE COUNCIL. IN THE YEAR ENDED THIS MARCH, THE SERVICE HANDLED A RECORD NUMBER OF 847 CASES, OF WHICH 541 OR NEARLY 64 PER CENT WERE SUCCESSFUL.

QUALITY OF EDUCATION

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THE WORLD-WIDE RECESSION IS NOT LIKELY TO RESULT IN ANY CUT BACK IN THE +QUALITATIVE IMPROVEMENTS IN EDUCATION BECAUSE OF PRUDENT PLANNING+, THE SENIOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUACTION FOR PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, MR Y.T. LI, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) AT THE SPEECH DAY OF CARMEL ENGLISH SCHOOL,

MR LI ADDED HOWEVER THAT IN THE NEXT YEAR OR SO, IT MIGHT NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE TO BRING ABOUT NEW IMPROVEMENTS AT THE SAME RATE AS IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.

+PERSONALLY I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS IS NECESSARILY A BAD THING BECAUSE WITH SO MANY CHANGES MADE IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN RECENT YEARS, PERHAPS THE TIME HAS COME FOR US TO CONSOLIDATE, ALTHOUGH LET ME QUICKLY ADD THAT CONSOLIDATION AT THIS STAGE SHOULD NOT, AND WILL NOT, MEAN STAGNATION.

+A PERIOD OF CONSOLIDATION AT THIS STAGE SHOULD GIVE US A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW PRESENT POLICIES, TO FINE-TUNE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS, AND ABOVE ALL, TO PREPARE FOR FURTHER ADVANCES IN THE FUTURE, HE SAID.

EARLIER, MR LI SAID THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STARTED TO EXPAND SECONDARY EDUCATION IN EARNEST FOLLOWING THE PUBLICATION OF THE 1974 WHITE PAPER ON SECONDARY EDUCATION, AND EMBARKED ON A PROGRAMME TO BUILD 130 NEW SCHOOLS.

NINETY-ONE OF THE SCHOOLS HAVE SINCE BEEN COMPLETED, AND 93 PRIVATE NON-PROFIT-MAKING SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO FULLY AIDED SCHOOLS, HE SAID.

+THESE ARE VERY SUBSTANTIAL ACHIEVEMENTS, ESPECIALLY IF IT IS REMEMBERED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITHIN LESS THAN A DECADE.

+NOR ARE THEY THE ONLY PROOF OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S DETERMINATION TO UPGRADE THE EDUCATION SYSTEM BOTH QUANTITATIVELY

AND QUALITATIVELY.

+THE IMPROVEMENTS SET OUT IN SUBSEQUENT EDUCATION WHITE PAPERS, OUR 'LANGUAGE PACKAGE' AND THE DECISION TO PROVIDE SCHOOLS WITH ADDITIONAL TEACHERS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE ARE SOME FURTHER

INDICATIONS OF OUR INTENTIONS AND PLANS IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT AREAS, MR LI SAID.

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