XN000022-1984-12-19 — Page 21

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1984

THE PURPOSE OF THE GUIDELINES WAS TO RAISE THE LEVEL OF MORAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN SCHOOLS THROUGH THE FORMAL CURRICULUM AND THE CORPORATE LIFE OF THE SCHOOL.

+1 AM SATISFIED THAT THIS PURPOSE IS BEING ACHIEVED, AS IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE LARGE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS, BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY, WHICH NOW HAVE MORAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES PURSUED VARIOUSLY THROUGH FORMAL LESSONS, CLASS PERIODS, SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, OR COMBINATIONS OF THESE MODES,+ MR LEUNG SAID.

HE ADDED THAT THERE WAS NOW A HEIGHTENED DEGREE OF MORAL AWARENESS AMONG TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.

DURING THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAD SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS ON MORAL ÉDUCATION IN WHICH OVER 2 600 TEACHERS PARTICIPATED. SOME 1 300 TEACHERS HAD ALSO VISITED THE MORAL EDUCATION RESOURCE CENTRE RUN BY THE DEPARTMENT.

THESE FIGURES SHOWED THE SUPPORT BY SCHOOLS FOR THE PROMOTION OF MORAL EDUCATION, AND THIS IN TURN HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON STUDENT SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE. ONE EXAMPLE WAS THE DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMUNITY YOUTH CLUB SCHEME, FROM 52 000 IN 1980 TO OVER 130 000 AT PRESENT.

THE GUIDELINES POINTED THE WAY, BUT MORE DETAILED DIRECTIONS HAD ALSO BEEN PROVIDED, MR LEUNG SAID.

THESE INCLUDED THE COMPILATION OF TWO COMPREHENSIVE SETS OF REFERENCE MATERIALS, SOCIAL MORALITY PROGRAMMES DEVELOPED BY THE ICAC WITH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT'S CO-OPERATION, ETV PROGRAMMES, VIDEO-TAPED TEACHING MATERIALS, AND CONFERENCES ORGANISED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, DISTRICT BOARDS, SCHOOL SPONSORS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

NO PUTONGHUA DEPARTMENT YET FOR COLLEGES

*****

PUTONGHUA WAS BEING TAUGHT IN THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION AS PART OF THE COMPLEMENTARY STUDIES PROGRAMME, BUT IT WAS PREMATURE TO CONSIDER SETTING UP PUTONGHUA DEPARTMENTS IN THESE COLLEGES, THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, THE HON MICHAEL LEUNG, SAID TODAY IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

HE SAID THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WOULD KEEP THE SITUATION UNDER REVIEW AND ENSURE THAT THE NEEDS OF SCHOOLS WERE FULLY MET.

GHUA

HE WAS REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON KEITH LAM, CALLING ON THE ADMINISTRATION TO CONSIDER SETTING UP A PUTONGHUA DEPARTMENT IN EACH OF THE THREE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION.

/+BECAUSE SO