XN000022-1985-01-23 — Page 15

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1985

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+COMMON SENSE+ SEEN IN EDUCATION REPORT

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A LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT THE EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORT NO. 1 HAD DEMONSTRATED AN EXCEPTIONAL AMOUNT OF COMMON SENSE AND REALISM IN RESOLVING PROBLEMS OF THE EXISTING EDUCATION SYSTEM.

THE HON MRS RITA FAN WAS SPEAKING DURING THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE ON THE REPORT, WHICH SHE WELCOMED.

HOWEVER, ON THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSESSMENT (JSEA) SYSTEM, MRS FAN SAID 1991 SHOULD BE SET AS THE LATEST POSSIBLE DATE FOR PHASING OUT OF JSEA AND SHE WOULD WELCOME AN EARLIER DATE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE.

+ INDEED, I WOULD WELCOME A FIRM COMMITMENT BY GOVERNMENT THAT THE JSEA WILL DISAPPEAR BY 1991 AT THE LATEST.

+FURTHERMORE, I HOPE THAT THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES WOULD MAKE EVERY CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO REDUCE PRESSURE FOR JUNIOR SECONDARY STUDENTS DURING THE INTERIM PERIOD LEADING UP TO 1991, + SHE SAID.

SHE ALSO HOPED TO SEE PUTONGHUA BEING WIDELY USED AND UNIVERSALLY UNDERSTOOD IN HONG KONG BY THE END OF THE NEXT DECADE.

SHE SAID THAT OUR NEXT GENERATION SHOULD BE EQUIPPED TO COMMUNICATE WITH CHINESE ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND IN PARTICULAR WITH THOSE RESIDING IN CHINA, HENCE, TO MASTER THE COMMON LANGUAGE, PUTONGHUA WAS A NECESSITY.

+ IN ORDER TO GIVE EVERY STUDENT A FAIR CHANCE TO LEARN PUTONGHUA, I SUGGEST THAT THERE SHOULD BE PUTONGHUA LESSONS IN EVERY SCHOOL AS PART OF THE FORMAL CURRICULUM, SHE SAID.

SHE SAID TEACHERS OF CRAFT AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO UPDATE THEMSELVES ON THE LATEST TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT.

+ INDEED I WOULD VENTURE A STEP FURTHER TO SUGGEST CONSIDERATION BE GIVEN TO SYSTEMATIC UPDATING OF THE TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW OF TECHNICAL TEACHERS BY PLACEMENT IN INDUSTRY OR OTHER MEANS.

+THIS CAN ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY.

+ THE LATTER IS NECESSARY BECAUSE WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD OF RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENTS, SHE SAID.

SHE POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING MORE DISCOURAGING THAN TO WITNESS A DISINTERESTED TEACHER MECHANICALLY PLODDING ON WITH HIS LESSONS, SIMPLY BECAUSE HE HAD TO EARN A LIVING.

THE WAY TO COUNTERACT THIS WAS TO FIND APPROPRIATE METHODS OF AROUSING AND PRESERVING TEACHER'S ZEAL AND DEVOTION TOWARDS HIS WORK.

/+THE EDUCATION