XN000022-1984-01-06 — Page 9

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1984

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+ I AM NOW HAPPY TO INVITE YOUR SUPERVISOR AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE TO COME IN OUT OF THE COLD SO AS TO ENJOY THE WARM BENEFITS OF FULL GOVERNMENT AID, THE DIRECTOR SAID.

HE SAID THAT NOW WAS A PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE TIME TO RENEW HIS INVITATION, BECAUSE CAPUT SCHOOLS WITH GOVERNMENT-BOUGHT PLACES COULD TRULY BENEFIT FROM MORE GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE.

+MORE MONEY MEANS BETTER PAY FOR QUALIFIED TEACHERS AND MORE SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF FACILITIES. MORE MONEY CAN MEAN MORE AND BETTER EDUCATION FOR THE STUDENTS OF THIS AND OTHER CAPUT SCHOOLS WHICH HAVE YET TO COME IN, AS SO MANY HAVE DONE, TO THE AIDED PUBLIC SECTOR.+

MR HAYE ADDED THAT ANOTHER REASON WHY IT WAS SO TIMELY TO ASK CAPUT SCHOOLS TO BECOME FULLY AIDED WAS THE IMMINENT REVIEW OF THE SENIOR SECONDARY CURRICULUM AND EXAMINATIONS.

MR HAYE RECALLED HE HAD MADE A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS TO IMPROVE THE CURRICULUM IN FORMS FOUR AND FIVE AND THE HONG KONG CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION TO MAJOR SCHOOLS COUNCILS AND ASSOCIATIONS, THE HONG KONG EXAMINATIONS AUTHORITY AND THE TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING DEPARTMENT.

HE ADDED +WITHOUT PRE-EMPTING THE CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF THESE PROPOSALS, I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE SHALL BE ABLE TO WORK TO A MORE RELEVANT AND MEANINGFUL CURRICULUM AND EXAMINATION IN FORMS FOUR AND FIVE - SENIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION THAT RECOGNISES THE ABILITY RANGE AND APTITUDE OF CHILDREN COMPLETING THEIR STUDIES IN SCHOOLS AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTES.+

+ IF THIS COLLEGE IS FULLY AIDED IT WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO AFFORD TO COPE WITH ANY CHANGES MADE IN THE SENIOR SECONDARY CURRICULUM AND EXAMINATIONS, HE SAID.

SO FAR, 59 CAPUT SCHOOLS HAVE BECOME FULLY AIDED SINCE THE GOVERNMENT FIRST OPENED THE DOOR TO A PHASED CONVERSION OF CAPUT SCHOOLS.

HK-NORWAY TEXTILE TALKS TO RESUME ****

CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN NORWAY AND HONG KONG REGARDING HONG KONG'S TEXTILES EXPORTS TO NORWAY WILL RESUME IN OSLO ON MONDAY (JANUARY 9).

THE HONG KONG DELEGATION WILL BE LED BY MR HAMISH MACLEOD, DIRECTOR OF TRADE.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRADE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THREE ROUNDS OF TALKS HAD BEEN HELD IN 1983 WITH A VIEW TO CONCLUDING A BILATERAL TEXTILES AGREEMENT. IN THE LAST ROUND HELD IN DECEMBER. CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS HAD BEEN MADE, ALTHOUGH THE TWO SIDES HAD NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO REACH AN AGREEMENT.

IN THE MEANTIME,+ THE SPOKESMAN ADDED, THE NORWEGIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE EXTENDED THEIR IMPORT CONTROLS ON CERTAIN TEXTILE AND GARMENT ITEMS FROM HONG KONG AND OTHER COUNTRIES

AND TO JUNE 30, 1984.+

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