XN000022-1985-01-23 — Page 12

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1985

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NO BENEFIT FROM BUYING FORM 4 PLACES MARIA TAM

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THE APPROACH RECOMMENDED BY THE EDUCATION COMMISSION IN PHASING OUT THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSESSMENT WAS SOUND BOTH IN EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC TERMS, THE HON MARIA TAM SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

SPEAKING ON THE EDUCATION COMMISSION'S REPORT NO. 1 TODAY, SHE HIGHLIGHTED SOME OF THE MAJOR CRITICISMS ABOUT THE TIMING OF THE PHASING OUT OF THE USEA AND PUT THEM IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE+.

REFERRING TO THE POINT THAT THE JSEA SHOULD BE ABOLISHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BY BUYING FORM 4 PLACES FROM PRIVATE SCHOOLS, MISS TAM SAID IF PLACES WERE TO BE PURCHASED FROM BOTH THE SATISFACTORY AND UNSATISFACTORY PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS NOW THE ONLY BENEFIT WOULD BE THAT STUDENTS IN THESE SCHOOLS WOULD HAVE THEIR FEES PAID BY TAX-PAYERS.

+THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, HOWEVER, WILL NOT BENEFIT NOR WILL THERE BE ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF POST-FORM 3 EDUCATION, SHE SAID.

+

IN VIEW OF THIS, THE COMMISSION HAD RECOMMENDED THAT FUNDS SHOULD BE USED TO BUILD MORE GOOD QUALITY SECONDARY SCHOOLS IMPROVE TEACHER QUALITY AND THE QUALITY OF TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION.

BETWEEN NOW AND 1991, WHEN THE JSEA WAS TO BE PHASED OUT, THERE WOULD BE IMPROVEMENTS BOTH IN THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF POST-FORM-3 EDUCATION YEAR BY YEAR AND MORE AND MORE STUDENTS WOULD BE ABLE TO BENEFIT.

+THE PHASING OUT OF THE JSEA IN 1991 IS RELATED TO THE COMPLETION DATES OF THE 35 ADDITIONAL SCHOOLS WHICH ARE DRAWN UP HAVING REGARD TO THE NORMAL LEAD-TIME REQUIRED FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION, TRAINING OF PROPERLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS TO TEACH IN THEM AND THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS IN THE URBAN AREA AND IN PARTICULAR THE NEW TERRITORIES WHERE THERE ARE HARDLY ANY PRIVATE SCHOOLS TO PROVIDE FOR BOUGHT PLACES, MISS TAM SAID.

SHE SAID ANOTHER POINT OF CRITICISM WAS THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BUY MORE PLACES FROM THESE (PRIVATE) SCHOOLS SO THAT THE IR STANDARDS COULD BE IMPROVED.

THE LLEWELLYN REPORT RECOMMENDED ASSISTANCE TO PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS, BUT THE COMMISSION'S REPORT MADE NO REFERENCE TO THIS POINT.

+THE FACT IS THAT THE PURCHASE OF FORM 4 AND 5 PLACES FROM THE UNSATISFACTORY PRIVATE SCHOOLS WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE STANDARD OF EDUCATION IN THESE SCHOOLS, + SHE SAID.

/THIS WAS