XN000022-1985-05-29 — Page 24

WEDNESDAY, MA -, 1985

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JOINT LIAISON GROUP TO HOLD FIRST MEETING

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THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN MADE IN LONDON AND PEKING AT 5 PM, HONG KONG TIME, TODAY (WEDNESDAY):

+ IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG, THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT LIAISON GROUP WAS ESTABLISHED ON 27 MAY 1985 WHEN THE JOINT DECLARATION CAME INTO FORCE. THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS HAVE AGREED THAT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT LIAISON GROUP WILL TAKE PLACE IN LONDON BETWEEN 22 AND 25 JULY.+

SCHOOLS TO GET MORE TEACHERS EARLIER

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ALL GOVERNMENT AND AIDED STANDARD-SIZED SECONDARY SCHOOLS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH AN ADDITIONAL NON-GRADUATE TEACHER IN SEPTEMBER 1985 AND A SECOND ONE IN SEPTEMBER 1986, ONE YEAR IN ADVANCE OF THE ORIGINAL PLAN.

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS (WEDNESDAY) EVENING APPROVED THE COST OF THIS PROPOSAL OF MORE THAN $41 MILLION TO BE SPREAD OVER THE NEXT THREE SCHOOL YEARS FROM 1985/86 TO 1987/88.

ORIGINALLY THE PROVISION OF THE TWO NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS WAS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 1986 AND SEPTEMBER 1987 AND WAS PART OF AN OVERALL PACKAGE TO IMPROVE THE STAFFING IN SECONDARY SCHOOL ACCEPTED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE IN 1981.

IN SEPTEMBER 1982, ALL GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SECONDARY SCHOOLS WERE PROVIDED WITH TWO ADDITIONAL GRADUATE TEACHERS FOR REMEDIAL TEACHING IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH IN FORMS 1 TO 3.

THIS A THIRD GRADUATE TEACHER WAS PROVIDED IN SEPTEMBER 1983. TEACHER, TOGETHER WITH THE TWO NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS TO BE PROVIDE. WILL BE FOR REMEDIAL TEACHING IN SUBJECTS OTHER THAN CHINESE AND ENGLISH, PUPIL COUNSELLING AND GUIDANCE, INCLUDING CAREER ADVICE, AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WHICH COMPLEMENT AND REINFORCE THE FORMAL CURRICULUM,

AN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE EARLIER PROVISION HAD BEEN MADE POSSIBLE BECAUSE, BASED ON THE LATEST POPULATION PROJECTIONS, THERE WOULD BE A LOWER THAN EXPECTED PRIMARY SCHOOL ENROLMENT IN AND AFTER 1985 AND FEWER NON-GRADUATE TEACHERS WOULD THEREFORE BE REQUIRED IN THE PRIMARY SECTOR,

/A SECOND