XN000022-1984-04-25 — Page 26

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 1984

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MORE SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS PLANNED

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THERE WILL BE MORE SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE HON COLVYN HAYE, DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE, MR HAYE SAID THAT TWO ADDITIONAL NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS WOULD BE PROVIDED FOR EACH STANDARD GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOL IN 1986 AND 1987.

FINANCIAL APPROVAL HAD BEEN GIVEN FOR AN EXPANSION PROGRAMME FOR THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION TO TRAIN THE ADDITIONAL TEACHERS, AT A COST OF $123 MILLION OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

AS FOR TEACHER RETRAINING, MR HAYE SAID THAT THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION WERE SUPPLYING SYSTEMATIC RETRAINING COURSES FOR BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS, THE INSTITUTE OF LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION OFFERED INTENSIVE PROGRAMMES FOR CHINESE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS, THE ADVISORY INSPECTORATE RAN SHORT COURSES FOR SERVING TEACHERS, AND THE BRITISH COUNCIL HAD BEEN COMMISSIONED TO RUN REFRESHER' COURSES FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS.

WHILE A DECISION ON THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSESSMENT SYSTEM HAD YET TO BE MADE, HE SAID, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WAS NOT PROPOSING TO FRREEZE THE SECONDARY SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAMME.

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+ IN FACT, WE HAVE RECENTLY SOUGHT AND OBTAINED APPROVAL TO BUILD AS MANY AS 36 ADDITIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS BETWEEN 1987 AND 1991 AT A COST OF NEARLY $570 MILLION.+

WHEN COMPLETED, THESE SCHOOLS WOULD CONTRIBUTE VERY SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE PHASING OUT OF THE LESS SATISFACTORY BOUGHT PLACES IN FORMS I TO 1 AND THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL PLACES IN FORMS IV TO VI, WHICH WOULD RAISE THE PERCENTAGE OF SUBSIDISED FORM IV PLACES FROM THE PRESENT 62 PER CENT TO 74 PER CENT OF THE 15-YEAR-OLD AGE GROUP.

EFFORTS WERE ALSO BEING MADE TO BRING THE QUALITY OF PLACES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR CLOSER TO THAT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SECTOR BY ALLOWING INCREASES IN THE COST OF BOUGHT PLACES THROUGH HIGHER FEE LEVELS WHEREVER THESE WERE CONSIDERED JUSTIFIED.

+A SYSTEM OF CONTROL HAS ALSO BEEN INTRODUCED WHEREBY THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS CONCERNED MUST SHOW PROOF THAT A SPECIFIED PROPORTION OF THE INCREASED FEE INCOME IS ACTUALLY SPENT ON IMPROVING TEACHERS' SALARIES. THIS SYSTEM OF CONTROL WILL BE KEPT UNDER CONSTANT AND CAREFUL REVIEW, + MR HAYE SAID.

WITH REGARD TO THE CALL BY THE HON SELINA CHOW FOR PROVISION OF MORE PLACES IN LONGER FULL-TIME CRAFT COURSES IN THE TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AS RECOMMENDED IN THE HELMORE REPORT, MR HAYE SAID HE AGREED FULLY WITH THE PROPOSAL, AND HAD DISCUSSED THE MATTER WITH THE DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING.

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