XN000022-1983-11-24 — Page 11

THURSDAY, NOVEʼBER 24, 1983

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+ IF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD PLANNED MORE THAN THE NORMAL NUMBER OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND IF THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE MOVING TO THE NEW TOWNS WERE NOT YOUNG FAMILIES, THEN A GREAT DEAL OF LAND AND MONEY WOULD HAVE BEEN WASTED, HE NOTED.

MR LI SAID THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, HAD DRAWN UP SHORT AND LONG-TERM MEASURES TO TACKLE THE SHORTAGE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PLACES IN CERTAIN AREAS OF SOME NEW TOWNS.

+WHERE PRIMARY SCHOOL SITES ARE AVAILABLE AND WHERE THERE IS LIKELY TO BE A LONG-TERM NEED FOR ADDITIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS, NEW SCHOOLS WILL BE BUILT.

+OTHERWISE, ADDITIONAL CLASSROOMS WILL BE PROVIDED THROUGH THE CONVERSION OF THE COVERED PLAYGROUNDS OF EXISTING SCHOOLS. SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS AND SPACE, ALTERNATIVE COVERED PLAYGROUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR THE SCHOOLS CONCERNED, + HE SAID.

MR LI SAID THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD SINCE JUNE ADOPTED A NEW PLANNING STANDARD IN THE PROVISION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PLACES.

+ IN FUTURE, THE NUMBER OF NEW PRIMARY SCHOOLS TO BE BUILT IN A DISTRICT WILL BE BASED ON THE ACTUAL ESTIMATED NUMBER OF CHILDREN AGED SIX TO 11 IN THE DISTRICT, RATHER THAN ON NINE TO 10 PER CENT OF THE ESTIMATED TOTAL POPULATION OF THE DISTRICT,+ HE EXPLAINED.

MR LI SAID THE DEPARTMENT WAS ALSO WORKING ON THE DESIGN OF +FLEXIBLE+ SCHOOLS · THOSE WHICH COULD BE USED FIRST AS PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND LATER AS SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO COPE WITH THE POPULATION BULGE.

+THE PRELIMINARY THINKING IS THAT IN FUTURE, PRIMARY SCHOOLS WILL BE BUILT BASICALLY TO THE DESIGN OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS, BUT WILL HAVE ONLY THE CLASSROOM BLOCK AND THE HALL BLOCK, LEAVING THE SPECIAL ROOM BLOCK TO BE ADDED LATER IF AND WHEN THE SCHOOL IS TURNED INTO A SECONDARY SCHOOL, HE REPORTED.

MR LI SAID A WORKING PARTY WITHIN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WAS ACTIVELY CONSIDERING THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BY A VISITING SCHOOL BUILDING ARCHITECT FROM BRITAIN ON THE DESIGN OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

+THIS IS LIKELY TO RESULT IN THE PROVISION OF MANY ADDITIONAL FACILITIES IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING SUCH AS SPECIAL ROOMS AND REMEDIAL TEACHING ROOMS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF NEW SUBJECTS AND NEW TEACHING STRATEGIES.

+ALTHOUGH THE NEW DESIGN HAS YET TO BE FINALISED, I CAN SAY THAT IT WILL BE AN EXCITING ONE, AND APART FROM SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF SCHOOL PROVISION IN THE NEW TOWNS, IT WILL REPRESENT ANOTHER MAJOR STEP FORWARD IN OUR PLANS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN HONG KONG, + MR LI REMARKED.

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