XN000022-1983-06-25 — Page 3

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SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1983

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS IS A LIFETIME PROCESS HAYE ********

THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR COLVYN HAYE, TODAY (SATURDAY) REITERATED THE IMPORTANCE OF IN-SERVICE REFRESHER COURSES FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS.

SPEAKING AT THE FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE HONG KONG ASSOCIATION FOR SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, MR HAYE SAID THAT INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING, NO MATTER HOW LONG OR HOW COMPREHENSIVE, WAS INADEQUATE FOR 40 YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.

+THE PROCESS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS INDEED A LIFETIME PROCESS. THIS IS PARTICULARLY SO IN THOSE AREAS OF EDUCATION THAT ARE CLOSELY AFFECTED BY RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS, HE NOTED.

MR HAYE SAID THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FULLY ACCEPTED THE FORWARD-LOOKING PHILOSOPHY UNDERLYING THE PROVISION OF IN-SERVICE TRAINING FOR TEACHERS.

THIS ACCEPTANCE WAS EMBODIED IN TWO MAJOR EDUCATION WHITE PAPERS OF RECENT YEARS- THE 1978 WHITE PAPER ON SENIOR SECONDARY AND TERTIARY EDUCATION AND THE 1981 WHITE PAPER ON PRIMARY EDUCATION AND PRE-PRIMARY SERVICES.

AT PRESENT, TEACHER-TRAINING COURSES ARE PROVIDED AT THE GRADUATE LEVEL BY THE SCHOOLS OF EDUCATION OF THE TWO UNIVERSITIES.

INITIAL TRAINING FOR NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS IS CARRIED OUT BY THE THREE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION AND THE HONG KONG TECHNICAL TEACHERS' COLLEGE.

FOR SERVING TEACHERS WHO HAVE ALREADY TAKEN A COURSE OF INITIAL TRAINING BUT WHO NEED TO UPDATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND UNDER- STANDING OF MODERN TEACHING METHODS, REGULAR COURSES OF REFRESHER TRAINING HAVE NOW BEEN ORGANISED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

THESE COURSES INCLUDE THE EIGHT-WEEK SYSTEMATIC RETRAINING COURSES FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS, INTRODUCED IN 1982 AND TO BE EXTENDED IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR TO SECONDARY TEACHERS, THE PART-TIME DAY-RELEASE REFRESHER COURSES FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS AND THE 16-WEEK COURSES FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS.

TEACHERS ARE RELEASED FROM THE IR NORMAL TEACHING DUTIES TO ATTEND THESE COURSES.

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LANGUAGE COURSES WHICH ARE RUN BY THE INSTITUTE OF LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION, THE VAR FOUS COURSES ARE RUN BY THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION AND THE ADVISORY INSPECTORATE OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

IN ADDITION,